In The End, Does It Matter?
by Faulkner
Summary: Girl named Ratchet is ignored all her life. Not a very sociable person since her boyfriend died. What happens when falls into ME? FLAMERS BEWARE MY WRATH, but criticism is ok. WARNING! First few chapters are kind crappy and very Mary-Sue-ish.
1. Introducing Ratchet and Enter Middle Ear...

Faulkner: I'm getting inspired to write LotR fan fics. Dunno why. But who cares!! When inspiration hits, use it!  
  
Pinky: Master does not own LotR, but Aerin Williams is hers.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
My name is Aerin Williams. (pronounced like Aaron or Erin)  
  
But anyone who doesn't want the crap beat out of them calls me Ratchet. I am a bully, if you want me to be blunt and to the point. I'm eighteen, have nearly black eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair. I'm around 100 pounds and 5'6.  
  
The most amazing and exciting thing that has ever happened to me occurred on what seemed to be another shitty day.  
  
"Ratchet! I realize that you do not enjoy school at all, but neither do most kids at this school. The least you could do is humor the teachers like everyone else does." the principle was saying. But Ratchet wasn't listening. All she had done was walk out of the classroom to go to the bathroom. So what if she hadn't asked permission!  
  
"Are you even listening!?" the principle raised his voice.  
  
"Nope." Ratchet answered. She wasn't in the mood for listening to another one of Mr.Estes lectures.  
  
"I realize that your home life is tough and that Kokuyo's passing was hard- " but Mr.Estes never had the chance to finish. He suddenly found himself up against a wall, his shirt collar held by a very angry teen.  
  
"Don't you ever talk about Kokuyo. He is none of your business." she whispered in his face. Then she let go and left the office.  
  
"Aerin, Aerin. Why can't you get over him?" Mr.Estes whispered.  
  
But Ratchet, however, didn't hear him. She was in the girls' bathroom crying silently.  
  
Kokuyo.  
  
That name. Just hearing it made her cry. Kokuyo was a guy that she had grown up with. He had been the only one that had had a worse life than her. He had understood, and along the way, they had sort of fallen in love.  
  
But, he had been killed by her stupidity. It was her fault that he was gone. Though the police and the doctors said it was an accident, it was really her fault.  
  
The eighth period bell rang. Thank God. She wanted to get out of the stink hole.  
  
She went to her locker and grabbed her backpack and helmet. She rode a dirt bike to school, since she didn't want a stupid car with its useless seatbelts. As she walked through the crowded halls, a path mysteriously appeared.  
  
No one ever messed with Ratchet. Unless you were extremely stupid or arrogant. Not even the teachers messed with her.  
  
When she reached her bike, someone called her name. She turned around and stared at the most popular girl in school, along with her posse. Ratchet found it funny she had been with them once, at a certain degree.  
  
"Ratchet! We were wondering if an outcast such as yourself would be attending the prom." Jessica, the head bimbo, said. Jessica had more of a girlish figure than Ratchet. But it was kinda hard to tell, since Ratchet wore baggy clothes. She was more of a tomboy. While Jessica and her group wore girly-girl clothes.  
  
"Why would I want to attend the most stupid and meaningless gathering the school has to offer?" Ratchet replied.  
  
"Probably because you don't have a date." the much shorter Justine whispered loudly to a girl next to her.  
  
"Probably because she can't get over that idiot Kokuyo." another girl whispered loudly. The stupid chick found herself on the ground with a hand over her left eye. She screamed in pain and started to cry her little heart out.  
  
"The next time one of you says his name or talks bad about him, you're gonna get more than a black eye." Ratchet said menacingly. She then put her helmet and sunglasses on to hide the tears that were forming.  
  
She raced off and let the wind pull her tears away. How dare they talk about him!!!  
  
When she had reached her neighborhood, the tears had subsided. She drove into the driveway and entered her home. If that's what it could be called.  
  
It's not like the house was in bad condition, it was just that only one person really lived there. Her parents were either working or out partying. They usually only came home to sleep and wash-up and change clothes. Ratchet had to do all the housework and grocery shopping.  
  
Ratchet entered her room and hung up her helmet on a rack next to her leather jacket. She dropped her bag on her messy bed and plopped down on a office seat. She logged onto the internet and checked her email. Just junk and some mail from flamers. Nothing interesting, so she logged off and went to check up on the food supply in the fridge.  
  
"What to eat, what to eat..." Ratchet mumbled to herself as she looked over the nearly empty fridge. She was tired and didn't feel like shopping, so she went to plan B. She picked up the phone and dialed a number she had memorized at the age of five.  
  
"Hello Mr.Wong. Yes, it's Aerin-san. I would like a number eight, two number sevens, and two egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce. Thanks Mr.Wong." She sighed. Mr.Wong was the only one that she let call her by her first name. He was a nice old man, but could barely speak any english but understood it very well. That's why she also knew Japanese. She loved to cuss at the teachers in Japanese because they didn't understand a word she said.  
  
She looked around the kitchen and saw one of the pictures of her parents when they had been on that cruise in Jamaica. As usual, Ratchet had been left behind. Her parents couldn't spend a second of their precious time with her. There had only been one picture of the family together. And that was hidden away somewhere in her parents room.  
  
She turned away from the picture and turned on the radio. On came her favorite song, from Emanesence.  
  
"How can you see through my eyes like open doors?" the girl sang.  
  
It was a beautiful song that rocked. Ratchet hummed along.  
  
"I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.  
  
Got to open my eyes to everything."  
  
The song ended after a little while and the doorbell rang. She switched off the radio and answered the door. It was the delivery man from Mr.Wongs restraunt. She paid him and took her food into the kitchen and started to pig out. She loved Mr.Wongs food. It was the best Japanese fast food around.  
  
After she finished, she got out her comic book that she hadn't started yet. It was the new Chobits from Clamp. She had just gotten comfortable when the door opened.  
  
It was her good for nothing parents. What the hell were they doing home so early??? Ah well. Didn't matter. Ratchet was just about to start on the first page when a mans voice called, "Aerin Tamera Williams!" Now what did *he* want!?!?  
  
"What!" she said as she abandoned her comic book and chair.  
  
"What is this mess doing in the kitchen!" her father asked her none too nicely.  
  
"Growing mold?" she replied with a shrug.  
  
"Now you listen here young lady! We will not tolerate this! Now answer your father!" her mother scolded her with an angry look.  
  
"Whaddo you care? You're not hear half the time anyway." Ratchet replied coldly.  
  
"How dare you!" her mother said in a shocked voice. "We work to give you all the things we never had! And what do we get in return? An ungrateful child!"  
  
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't want some of this? Did you ever stop to think about how I felt when Kokuyo died?! Did you ever stop to think that maybe what I really needed sometimes was a mother and a father!? BUT NO! YOU WERE TOO BUSY PARTYING WITH THOSE PEOPLE!!!" as she screamed out the last sentence, she ran to her room and grabbed her backpack.  
  
"I'm gettin outta this hell-hole!" Ratchet yelled as she slammed the front door behind her. She didn't even bother to get on her dirt bike. She just stalked off towards the comic book store that she always went to.  
  
Ratchet took a short cut through an alley. It was one of those 'always dark and over-flowing trash cans with rats' alleys. But it was familiar, since Kokuyo and her used to walk down it all the time. But it was pretty dangerous.  
  
An old sewer system ran under the alley and the ground had become weak over the years. Occasionally, the ground would just break and you would fall into the sewer. You would be on your own then. No one would be able to find you after you fell. At least, not alive anyway.  
  
Ratchet was too busy fuming over the stupid parents that she had to notice the cracks in the cement. She realized way too late that the ground was seriously weak and that she should go back.  
  
She fell into shadow. ---------- When Ratchet woke up, she found herself in a forest next to a river. "Where the hell am I?" she asked herself as she looked around. It looked to be a little bit after noontime.  
  
She picked up her backpack and put it on. She thought it best if she found a city before dark. So, she walked along the riverbed until she saw a path through the trees. She started to follow it.  
  
After a couple of minutes walking she heard an awful screeching. It seemed to be coming from somewhere ahead on the trail. Ratchet walked a little faster, looking around for any attackers or suspicious people. At first, she ignored the light pounding. But eventually, she stopped and looked around to see where it was coming from.  
  
She found her answer in a black horse and rider pelting down the path. Ratchet was too surprised to move. But when the rider drew a sword, her reflexes kicked in. She jumped to the side, but not quick enough. The blade cut across her check as the rider passed by.  
  
She grabbed her cheek to stop the flow of blood. The scratch wasn't too wide, but it was deep enough to hurt like hell. Ratchet had enough sense to stumble over to the river and wash the wound. When the bleeding stopped, she looked across the river and saw old horse tracks.  
  
She stood there, wondering if she should follow the path or the tracks. 'What the hell? I'm lost anyway' she thought, so she crossed the river, which was pretty easy since the water didn't go past her shoes.  
  
Ratchet followed the tracks, which were wide apart. In other words, this person was in a hurry. This was starting to get her curious.  
  
It was around nighttime when she reached a beautiful city. Beautiful was more of an understatement. Words like 'awesome' 'wow' and 'oh my God' went through her mind as she stared at the city. But it wasn't long before she got busy with other more pressing matters.  
  
"Who goes there!" a tall man with gorgeous blond hair that went past his shoulders said to her.  
  
"Why's it any of your business?" her bitchiness got the better of her. A pair of hands immediately grabbed her. "What the hell? Hey! Let go of me! Let go you bastard!" she yelled and started to struggle. She would have gotten away if it weren't for her another pair of hands that grabbed her.  
  
Ratchet got seriously pissed and started to curse as she flailed to get the hands off her. She looked up at her attackers and immediately calmed down. Mostly from shock than compliance. The two guys that had grabbed her were beautiful. Both were tall and blonds. But the thing that really freaked her out was the fact that their ears were pointed.  
  
"Holy fuck...." she whispered as she stared at them while they dragged her somewhere. Then she started to flail with panic instead of anger this time. Who were these guys?!?! Other people (if that's what you could call 'em) watched them pass.  
  
"Where the hell are you taking me!" she yelled at them.  
  
"Lord Elrond gave us orders that any outsiders were to be taken to him immediately." one guy said without looking at her.  
  
"Well, you could at least let me walk on my own!" she complained as she was still dragged along. Ratchet had to jog to keep up with their long strides. They had entered a building and were walking down a hall when a beautiful woman entered from a door.  
  
The men suddenly stopped and bowed. "Lady Arwen." they whispered as if she was a god. Ratchet just glared at her.  
  
"What is all this noise for?" she asked the guys. Then she noticed the teenager between them.  
  
"We found this girl outside the city gate. I think she must be a spy that the Ringwraiths sent after you and Mr.Baggins milady." the guard on her left answered.  
  
"I ain't no damn spy for some wraith thingy's." Ratchet said.  
  
"Hold your tongue!" the guard on her left hissed and he knocked her over the head with.... something.  
  
Ratchet immediately saw colors that shouldn't have been there. She slumped a little in guards grasp, trying not to fall and slip into unconsciousness. "Galdar! She is just a child!" the woman said in shock at the guard's violence.  
  
"Oh God..." Ratchet said as her vision blurred. But she managed to get back to her feet. She had taken hits like that before when she had gotten into fights. But only when the other guy had something hard to hit her with.  
  
She blinked to make the woman come back into focus. "My father is busy right now. She will have to wait till tomorrow to be questioned." the lady was saying. "She will have to sleep in a room and get some rest. But a guard will have to be posted outside her door." the woman said, then left.  
  
Ratchet was then led into a small, but comfortable room. "Try to escape and you will give me a reason to shoot you." one of them said as they shoved her in and locked the door behind them when they left.  
  
Ratchet felt herself starting to slip into unconsciousness. She laid down her backpack and fell into the bed.  
  
Her last thought was what the hell had she gotten herself into.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: I accept criticism but tend to get pissed at flamers.  
  
CrystalMeth: I'm livin' proof of that. 


	2. Hobbits and FOOD!

Faulkner: In a review someone commented on there hardly being any spelling errors. Unfortunately, I am a near perfect speller. So I can't stand to see spelling mistakes. ::sighs::  
  
Pinky: Blame it on her mother. She was a perfect speller in school.  
  
CrystalMeth: Life sucks, don't it?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Her head still hurt in the morning, but not as bad as the night before. The guards opened the door and let a female set down a tray of food on the small table in the room.  
  
"Thanks." Ratchet whispered as the female walked pass her. She left and guards locked the door again. The food was different than what she was used to eating at breakfast. But it tasted good so she ate it without complaint.  
  
She looked in a small mirror that was hanging on the wall and saw that the cut that she had gotten the day before went from the middle of her nose to her ear. Her hair was messy and her face was smudged with dirt. She looked around the room and found a cloth, bowl, and pitcher full of water.  
  
Ratchet took advantage of these and washed her face. Afterwards, she attempted to straighten out her clothes. When she finally decided this was the best she could do, the door opened and one of the guards spoke to her.  
  
"You are going to see Lord Elrond. Now." So, Ratchet grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.  
  
"Where are you going with that?" the guard asked.  
  
"It has all my stuff in it and since I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, i'm taking it with me." The one guard talked to the other in a different language. They evidently decided to let her take her backpack because she was pulled along again at that very fast pace.  
  
After a lot of turns and Ratchet losing all sense of direction, they finally stopped at a pair of double doors. The guards knocked and entered.  
  
Inside was the same beautiful woman from last night and a guy. The guy had brown hair and deep brown eyes. His hair was tied back and he was deep in conversation with the woman when they entered.  
  
The man looked up and stared at Ratchet immediately. Then he started to question her. "What were you doing outside of Rivendell last night?" he asked sternly. Though her head hurt horribly and she still was tired, she didn't back down under his stare. Instead, she raised her chin a little as a sign of confidence.  
  
"I was following some horse tracks. I was curious to where they went." Ratchet answered as she returned the mans gaze.  
  
"Are you a spy for Sauron?" the man asked coldly.  
  
"Who? Sauron? First of all, I don't know who this Sauron dude is. Second, i've never spied for anyone in my life." she answered.  
  
"What is your name?" the guy asked.  
  
"I would like to know yours, and what the hell you guys are!" Ratchet replied.  
  
"Careful, human. You are speaking to Lord Elrond of the Elves of Rivendell. The master of this city." a guard growled at her.  
  
"Elves?" Ratchet said, dumbstruck. "Elves?"  
  
"Is there an echo in here?" the guard growled again. Ratchet glared at the elven guard. He was really starting to piss her off.  
  
"Well, since I know your name, people call me Ratchet." Ratchet said. The guard stared at her.  
  
"What kind of name is that?" he said and sniggered.  
  
'That tears it!!!!' Ratchet thought. She socked him in the jaw. He sprawled on the ground and stared at her in surprise. "It's my name, and I suggest you don't make fun of it." she threatened him. Her head was pounding with pain and anger. Her vision was blurring and the cut on her cheek was burning.  
  
The other guard drew his sword and pointed it at her throat. But she didn't notice. Her vision was getting worse and the world was spinning. It sounded like a hundred drums were playing in her head. It was nearly worse than a migraine. (AN: I had one of those once. God, it felt like WW2 all over again.)  
  
She started to weave on her feet like she was drunk. Lord Elrond rose and walked over to the outsider. Her eyes were unfocused and wondering all over the place. She reached out to grab something to steady herself. But found nothing. She backed up into the wall and slid down it.  
  
Arwen rushed over to her. The girl, Ratchet, stared at her without really seeing her. Arwen felt her forehead and immediately removed her hand. The poor girl was burning up. "Father, she has a horrible fever. We need to help her." Arwen pleaded with her father.  
  
"Kokuyo....Kokuyo don't!" the human cried out. Then was silent as she started to cry. Not racking sobs, as most people would expect from her. But just silent tears. Her eyes were wide and staring, but not at anything the elves could see.  
  
"All right." Lord Elrond agreed reluctantly. What was he getting into?  
  
The outsider was carried to a room while healers were sent for. They arrived and examined her carefully. It was concluded that a poison that was fairly common was in her system. It could be treated and her fever would be gone in a day or two if she was properly looked after.  
  
She was given the proper antidote was watched after constantly by someone every minute. The outsider would occasionally cry out and then mumble some incoherent words and be silent. Sometimes she would flail and open her eyes without really seeing. Then sleep quietly.  
  
The day wore on into night when Ratchet woke up. She remembered talking to some people who were actually elves and then falling asleep. She frowned. Her head was still a little fuzzy. But her vision was fine. She got up and walked slowly past the sleeping elf.  
  
She crept outside of her room and walked around a little. Then she heard a voice cry out. "NOOOOO!!!" Ratchet followed the sound of the voice. She entered a room where a small curly haired boy was tossing and turning and yelling.  
  
She ran up and started shaking the boy. He woke up and started to cry. Ratchet held the small boy and whispered comforting words to him. He slowly calmed down and went back to sleep on her shoulder. She laid him down and tucked him in.  
  
Ratchet turned around and was surprised to see a man standing in the doorway. He was dirty from traveling and looked really tired. He stared at her and she stared back. The man had shoulder-length dark brown hair and blue eyes. Plus, he needed a shave. Badly.  
  
"Who're you?" she asked.  
  
"People call me Strider." the man said after a moment. "And you are?"  
  
"Call me Ratchet." The man looked a little startled at the strange name. "Is the little guy a friend of yours?" The man nodded. "Cool. Well, I better be going." Ratchet said and she nodded at Strider.  
  
"Good night." Strider said. He watched the girl with the peculiar name walk away, then turned back to Frodo, who was sleeping peacefully.  
  
"Oh crap." Ratchet muttered. She was lost. For the love of all things holy, why? She picked a random passage and got even more lost. She gave up, and just sat down on the cool stone floor. She drew her knees up to her chin and let out a breath.  
  
"Stupid parents. If it weren't for those bastards i'd be staying up late right now and watching Adult Swim. This is the second time i've missed Jamming with Edward." she complained to herself. And she fell asleep. ----- The elf that was supposed to watch the outsider was severely scolded for letting her escape. But the thing that really baffled the guards was why she had left her strange pack. The guards thought it best that they search all of Rivendell thoroughly. She might only be hiding.  
  
They eventually found her asleep curled up on the floor in a niche in the hall. But they wondered what they should do. Should they wake her up, or let her sleep and carry her to her room? But Lord Elrond and the ranger known as Strider to the common folk, came upon them and the sleeping child.  
  
"Lord Elrond, the outsider escaped her room and got lost last night. What should we do? Should we wake her up?" the leader asked.  
  
Elrond stared at her. His face softened unconsciously as he stared at the peaceful face of the sleeping outsider. "Try not to wake her and take her to her rooms." but as Elrond said this, the girl woke up.  
  
Ratchet slowly opened her eyes and saw a bunch of elves standing around her, including Elrond. And the dude that said his name was Strider. She rolled onto her back and looked up at them through half opened eyes. Then she decided to stand up and stretch.  
  
Ratchet startled the males with her movement, and they all stepped back. They just stared at her as she stretched her back and arms.  
  
"That is the last time I sleep on a cold floor." she grumbled. Then noticed their staring. "What? Never seen a person wake up and stretch?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
"You shouldn't be up. You are still recovering from the poison that was given to you." Lord Elrond said with a frown.  
  
"I was poisoned? Fuck! I bet it was that damn rider in black! If I ever see that bastard-" but she was cut off.  
  
"Rider in black? Where did you meet this rider in black?" Strider interrupted. Ratchet glared at him.  
  
"On a path on the other side of the river. He was riding a black horse. He was racing down the track and pulled out a sword. He slashed at me at got my cheek." she said pointing to her injury. "If it weren't for my training, my head would be rolling in the grass."  
  
"That was probably what poisoned her." Strider said in an undertone to Elrond. "It was a Ringwraith that attacked her."  
  
Ratchet didn't hear them because she was more intent on sating her hunger pains. "When's breakfast?" she complained. Everyone turned their attention to her again. The question was backed up with a loud growl from her stomach. Everyone sniggered.  
  
"That is so not funny! Starving innocent little girls must be your idea of fun."  
  
"Innocent is something that you are not." Elrond said suddenly. "You caught one of my higher ranking protectors off guard and gave him a black eye."  
  
"The dude needed and deserved it. He was bound to get shoved off his high horse sooner or later. Dumbass. He shouldn't have left himself vulnerable to attack like that." Strider was about to reply when two figures peeled out around the corner and ran straight into Ratchet.  
  
They tumbled for a few feet before stopping. The two short guys ended up on top of Ratchet. "Merry, Pippin! Watch where you're going!" Strider exclaimed as he pulled the two curly-haired boys off of Ratchet.  
  
"For the love of Mike. Stop the spinning!" Ratchet exclaimed as she held her head and closed her eyes when she sat up.  
  
"We're so sorry! We didn't see you!" the slightly skinnier one said.  
  
"It was an accident! We were looking for Strider!" the other one said.  
  
"Well, you found him." Ratchet said as she slowly got up. "Now, back to business. When's breakfast?" Ratchet asked again.  
  
The two boys looked at her. "When is breakfast Strider?" they both asked, turning to the man.  
  
"As soon as we get to the dining hall." Strider said, exasperated.  
  
"Yippee!!" the two boys and one girl said in unison. Elrond sighed, told the guards to go back to their duties, and led the little group to the food. As far as he could tell, the girl Ratchet was not a danger. When they reached the dining hall, the three hungriest people in the group (three guesses which three!) found seats and started to pile food onto their plates.  
  
"One of the most important things to Hobbits must be food." Strider commented to Elrond. The Lord of Rivendell chuckled and watched the three eat.  
  
The two hobbits and one outsider didn't stop until they were completely full. "That was the best breakfast i've had in years." Ratchet sighed.  
  
"The best breakfast you've had in years? What do you mean by that?" the one with dirty blond hair asked.  
  
"Usually, I only have cereal for breakfast."  
  
"Cereal? How do you get to lunch without starving to death?" the other one asked. The Elrond and Strider were listening to the conversation with a little curiosity.  
  
"I tough it out. I only have time for a bowl of cereal before school. But on the weekends, I make a bigger breakfast for myself. If i'm not too lazy anyway." she said with a shrug. Then she looked at herself. "Ye guds!! I look like I rolled in mud, then leaves, then jumped in a river!" She looked at Elrond. "Is there any mercy in you to let me have a bath and some clean clothes?" she pleaded.  
  
Elrond got an elf to help her with the bath and clothes. While the two boys named Merry and Pippin exploring. "What do you think of the outsider?" Elrond asked Strider as they walked through the halls.  
  
"I think she is very strange, but relatively harmless."  
  
"Tell that to Galdar." Elrond said sarcastically.  
  
"Ah, was he being his usual self?"  
  
"Yes, and he got a black eye from the girl."  
  
"To true I bet. But you didn't see what she did to Frodo." Elrond raised an eyebrow in question. "Last night Frodo must have had a bad dream, because he was calling out and flailing around. I arrived just in time to see her comforting Frodo and put him back to sleep."  
  
"Hmmmm." was all Elrond would say.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: I read some very disturbing HP fan fics last night. I got the strangest dreams.. ::stares off into space::  
  
Pinky & CrystalMeth: -__-U  
  
Faulkner: ANNNYWAY! I don't own LotR, but Ratchet/Aerin Williams is mine. None of y'all can have her!!!! 


	3. Swordfighting, Singing, and Boredom

Faulkner: YOU'D THINK THAT ART WOULD BE EASY!!! BUT NOOOOOOO!!! I SWEAR MRS.MILLER IS SATANS WIFE IN DISGUISE!!!  
  
Pinky: Such is life....  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~  
  
After Ratchet had taken a bath, an elf studied her for a minute, trying to figure out what size she was.  
  
"Ummm. Can I have shirts and pants instead of dresses and skirts?" Ratchet asked. She hated dresses and skirts with a fiery passion. She had never worn one ever since Kokuyo's funeral.  
  
The elf nodded and left. Ratchet had been given a bigger room and her backpack was sitting on a table. 'I guess the elves don't think of me as an enemy anymore' she thought. It was a really nice room that had a balcony.  
  
The elf came back after a while with a pile of clothes that she had to try on. When they found a perfect fit, the elf said that she was free to look around. Which Ratchet did happily. Though the elves had seriously gotten her pissed that one time, it was only a misunderstanding. So, she would let it slide.  
  
Nothing interesting happened for two days. During that time she had learned that two elves that had ran into her were Merry and Pippin. Another little guy was revealed as Sam, and the one that Ratchet had helped was Frodo.  
  
On Ratchet's fourth day at Rivendell, an old man appeared. His name was Gandalf, and he was a wizard. He was also friends with the Hobbits and Strider. He was a weird old geezer to Ratchet. But she didn't really hang out with them anyway.  
  
She had been practicing her martial arts. She was never too lazy to practice her martial arts. If there was one thing that hadn't changed about her over the years, it was her dedication to her martial arts. Her uncle had trained her and he said that she was better than any black belt he had seen.  
  
Everyone was amazed at the things she could do. Strider had thought that she could probably be taught how to use a sword. He was correct. Ratchet was a fast learner and was getting very close to beating him.  
  
One day after one such exhausting session, Ratchet was taking a nap when she heard a horn blow. She nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. She was feeling very pissed that someone had the nerve to wake her up from her nap.  
  
Ratchet walked to the gate where a group of men, elves, and short bearded guys that must be dwarves. Elrond and Strider were greeting them and didn't notice her arrival until she spoke up.  
  
"Who's the idiot blowing a horn?" she asked angrily. Elrond groaned and wondered why the horn had bothered her. "A person is entitled to some sleep after a long session of sword play. It is very hard to take a nap when some smart ass goes blowing a horn like nobody's business." and she glared at the group of males.  
  
The company stared at the very angry girl in front of them. She had shoulder-length brown hair and eyes that looked nearly black. She was wearing brown breeches and a black tunic with a three-inch cut down the middle of the collar. She had black leather belt and a brown leather belt that kept the sword she was wearing from falling down.  
  
It would have been a little funny if the girl hadn't been glaring at them all with a very arrogant stance and arms crossed.  
  
"Ratchet, Lord Boromir meant nothing by it." Strider informed her calmly. The girl stared at Strider now.  
  
"Whoever the hell Lord Boromir is, he may not have meant it on purpose. But he should think twice before blowing some stupid horn. But then again....Maybe he doesn't care? Ah, royalty. Blah." she said with a wave of her hand and left.  
  
"Please excuse Ratchet, my lords. She has a fiery temper." Elrond apologized.  
  
"What kind of a name is Ratchet for a woman?" one of the dwarfs asked.  
  
"It is not her real name, Gimli, son of Gloin. But that is what she wants us to call her." Strider said to the dwarf.  
  
"What is her real name then?" one of the elves asked.  
  
"She will not tell us." Elrond said with a sigh.  
  
"Her words exactly were, 'I will tell you my real name when hell freezes over.'" Strider said with a chuckle.  
  
"How can a girl be like that?" a relative of Gimli's asked.  
  
"Your guess is as good as ours." Elrond said with a shake of his head.  
  
The new arrivals talked with each other and their hosts except for one. He was thinking about the strange girl who was called Ratchet.  
  
Ratchet, however, was thinking about a quiet place to sleep outside when three Hobbits ran into her. "Honestly! We have got to stop meeting like this!" she said as she took a good look at Sam, Merry, and Pippin.  
  
"We heard the horn and wanted to see the new arrivals!" Pippin said in excitement.  
  
"Well, go see them before they disappear into the maze that is Rivendell." Ratchet said, her voice full of disdain. She could find her room and the dining hall easily enough. But she tried to be careful and watch where she was going so she could find her way back.  
  
"Thanks!" Merry said as the three Hobbits sped off. The next person she met after only a minute was Gandalf.  
  
"Off to see the company that we got?" Ratchet asked politely for a change.  
  
"Yes. Have you met them all yet?" Gandalf asked.  
  
"I saw them, but didn't get their names." Ratchet said, then headed towards a garden that was one of her favorites. She settled down on the grass and fell asleep. ------ About half an hour later she woke up. She felt better after the small nap. Her hand strayed to the scar that the black rider had given her. Though her skin was kinda pale (not as pale as the elves) the scar showed up plain as day on her face.  
  
But not even the thought of the black rider could annoy her. She felt peaceful. But then she thought to Kokuyo. No tears came this time. But she needed to get out her sadness. So she sang.  
  
"Quietly awakening...  
  
I always, always wish  
  
That these fleeting thoughts  
  
Would reach you..."  
  
A man and an elf were walking silently together when they heard singing. Very sad singing. They quietly followed the sound of the voice and found a girl lying in the grass. To their extreme surprise, it was Ratchet.  
  
"Unable to move forward across just a little more distance  
  
The way I see before my eyes is always blocked  
  
Every time the days I want to see you but can't pile up  
  
My strong heartbeat turns to heartbreak.  
  
If there is such a thing as eternity  
  
I want to believe, even if I have to take the long way.  
  
Although I know that i've been hurt before because i'm clumsy  
  
I won't stop; I won't give into anyone.  
  
I think of you  
  
And that alone is enough  
  
To make the tears start to flow now  
  
I always, always wish  
  
That these fleeting thoughts  
  
Would reach you..."  
  
The man stared at the girl. How could a child who sounded so harsh be so.... so emotional? Her voice was beautiful, but so sad. So was her song.  
  
"I've known all too well about pretending to be strong.  
  
But since then, my doubts have vanished.  
  
There's definitely things I want to show you  
  
And so many words I want to hear  
  
I want to see all sides of you, when you laugh and cry  
  
So i'll stop waiting and size my chance.  
  
I think of you,  
  
And that alone is enough  
  
To make my heart grow stronger.  
  
I always, always wish  
  
That these fleeting thoughts  
  
Would reach you..."  
  
The elf thought that the human had a voice like an elf's. Her song was so beautiful. It was heaven to listen to it. Even if the song was sad.  
  
"I think of you  
  
And that alone is enough  
  
To make the tears start to flow now  
  
My distant voice can't reach you now, but so that someday  
  
It definitely will...  
  
Believe. la la la la la la...  
  
Believe. la la la la la la...  
  
Believe. la la la la la la..."  
  
Her song ended and she sighed. 'Stupid thing to do' she thought to herself. 'Singing only keeps the pain away for a little while. But it's not a permanent solution.'  
  
"Hey! Ratchet! Ratchet, where are you?" someone called. Two of the Hobbits appeared from the other side of the garden.  
  
"Hey Merry! Hey Pip!" Ratchet called cheerily as if sadness wasn't even in her vocabulary. "What's up?"  
  
"Lunch is gonna start without you if you don't hurry up!" Merry said.  
  
"There will be hell to pay if it does!" and the girl jumped up and ran towards the dining hall.  
  
"Hey! Wait for us!" Pippin cried as the two tried to catch up. But Ratchet just cackled evilly. "Oh no! She's gonna eat all the food!" he cried out in disdain.  
  
The elf and the man couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the poor Hobbits trying to catch to the cackling girl. But suddenly the end of her sword, which she had forgotten to take off, tripped her. That made the two laugh harder. The Hobbits reached where she lay and tried to run past her, but she grabbed each ones foot. The two Hobbits kissed dirt as Ratchet got up, but was jumped by Merry and Pippin.  
  
That was when the elf and the man decided to make themselves known. They strode over to the three wrestling figures and stopped to watch. "If you three keep that up, you will never make it to lunch." the man said.  
  
The three stopped wrestling and looked at the elf and the man. They both looked vaguely familiar.  
  
"Oi, haven't we seen you before?" Pippin asked from under Ratchets arms. She had him in headlock.  
  
"You might have seen us arrive. We just got here today." the elf said. He had blond hair that went about 4 inches past his shoulders that was tied back. He was tall and had fair, pale skin with brown eyes.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember now." Merry said. He had grabbed Ratchets other arm and was holding it behind her back.  
  
The man nodded. He had copper shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. He sort of reminded Ratchet and the Hobbits of Strider.  
  
"So what's yer names?" Ratchet asked.  
  
"Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." the elf said with a slight bow.  
  
"Boromir, son of Denethor of Gondor." the man said.  
  
"Ahhh, so you're the nut with the horn." Ratchet said with a smirk. "I'm Ratchet, this is Pippin," she said, nodding her head at him, "and the one behind me is Merry."  
  
"Hullo!" the Hobbits said.  
  
"LUNCH TIME!!" Ratchet said suddenly and got up ran to the dining hall after dropping Pippin.  
  
"NO!" the Hobbits cried out but it didn't help. The girl was already inside. Boromir and Legolas stared after the girl. "C'mon Pip! Maybe we can at least be in time to get her scraps!" Merry said as he sped off. Pippin ran after him.  
  
Lunch was the same as every other day, with the exception of more noise, people, and food. Boromir wondered why the girl Ratchet sat at the very end of the table and didn't talk to anyone. He asked the Hobbit Sam why that was.  
  
"Well, Ratchet keeps to herself mostly. Whenever she does talk, she is very polite. Well, when she wants to anyway." Sam said with a chuckle. "She cursed at Lord Elrond for about ten minutes about what no means."  
  
Boromir was shocked. He thought she would at least respect Lord Elrond. He was, after all, an elf and of higher blood than her. "Why?" was all he could get out.  
  
"Well, she was sleeping in her room, and Lord Elrond had requested her presence. The elf that had been sent to wake her up was scared off by her tone. So Strider went to wake her up. She yelled something at him and he got so mad that he started yelling back. Anyone who wasn't awake was woken up by the fight they had. She had punched him in the jaw and finally gotten up. Then she cursed at Lord Elrond about how she was still growing and needed her rest." Sam explained.  
  
Boromir looked back to the strange girl. How could she be like that? How could a child be so violent and vulgar? It was beyond him.  
  
Ratchet finished her lunch and left without waiting for everyone else to finish. "Why is she like that?" Legolas asked Strider.  
  
Strider shrugged. "She just is as far as I know. If you want to know, ask her."  
  
"Be careful though! She might give you a pretty little bruise like Strider has!" Pippin said. Him and Merry started giggling.  
  
Strider sighed and rubbed his jaw. "She punches pretty hard and pretty fast for a girl. Didn't even see it coming." he said with a shake of his head.  
  
Lunch was finished and everyone went their separate ways. Boromir went exploring. Rivendell was a beautiful place. Incidentally, he ran into Ratchet practicing some form of fighting. She moved fast and never stayed in one place too long. She moved all around the garden, kicking and punching invisible enemies. She was so graceful and strong.  
  
She suddenly stopped and stared at nothing. Then sat down on the grass and stared at her hands. She sighed and then looked at the sky. Ratchet decided to look around and noticed Boromir staring at her. The man immediately stiffened and lowered his eyes.  
  
"Whatcha want Horn-Boy?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
"I'm sorry for that." Boromir said looking at her again.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it. I eventually got my nap. I was just tired and pissed off." she answered. They stared at each other for a second.  
  
"May I ask what you were doing earlier?" Boromir finally said.  
  
"I thought that someone was watching me." she smirked. "It's called martial arts. It's the best form of fighting around."  
  
"Martial arts?" Boromir asked.  
  
"In lamens terms 'I can kick your ass.'" she said with a grin.  
  
This time Boromir grinned. "Not if your opponent was armed."  
  
"It would be more likely that it would snow in hell." Boromir was about to challenge her to see if she was right, but at that moment, Gandalf walked by with Frodo.  
  
"Long time no see Frodo my man." Ratchet greeted.  
  
Frodo smiled. "Good day Ratchet." he said.  
  
"Feelin' better?"  
  
"Much, thanks." Frodo replied.  
  
"Good thing too. Tomorrow, Lord Elrond is having a council that Frodo must attend." Gandalf said.  
  
"Blah. I don't envy you Frodo. Councils and meetings are all boring to me. Just a bunch of talk. Boredom is the only fate worse than death." Ratchet scowled.  
  
"That's too bad. You have also been invited." Gandalf said.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Nothing to say, 'cept Please R/R!! 


	4. The Council and A Challenge

Faulkner: I don't own LotR, but Ratchet/Aerin Williams is mine. ALL MINE!!  
  
Pinky: Don't scare away the readers!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"How do I get myself into these things?" Ratchet asked herself.  
  
Today was the day of the Council of Elrond, or whatever the hell they were calling it. Ratchet was told by Gandalf that she would have to attend, and that she would have to wear a dress. Though she did not win the argument about attending the council, she did get out of wearing a dress.  
  
And currently, she was listening to the boring talk about some stupid ring that could 'destroy Middle-Earth.' Blah, blah blah. The talk went on and on. She was slumped down in her chair, trying her best to not fall asleep. But that was *impossible*.  
  
Her teachers could barely hold her attention. So how did they expect her to stay *awake* during all this babble? Drink a bunch of cokes or something?  
  
"The Ring please, Frodo." Elrond was saying.  
  
Frodo got up from his seat and set a little golden ring on a podium. Then the men started talking about using it and that it couldn't be used, so on and so forth.  
  
Then the dwarf (Gimli, wasn't it? The dwarves looked pretty much the same to her) got up and charged at the Ring. He brought his ax down on the Ring, and the ax shattered and Gimli fell back.  
  
The moment the ax touched the Ring, Ratchet heard evil laughing and felt a searing pain in her head. She gasped and closed her eyes. But the laughing and pain went as quickley as it came.  
  
She looked at Frodo and saw him clutching the arms of his chair. "Dude, Frodo, are you all right?" Ratchet whispered to him. Frodo relaxed a little and nodded. The others didn't notice.  
  
"As you can see, Gimli, son of Gloin, it can not be destroyed by any crafts we here possess." Elrond said.  
  
Then, back to the arguing, but about who would take the Ring to be destroyed. Ratchet stared at it, and heard gibberish being whispered. Then flames were reflected from somewhere deep inside the Ring. An extremely evil voice, full of death and malice, said very clearly, "They shall all burn."  
  
Ratchet wanted to take that Ring and throw it into the river, or toss it into a pit. It was scaring the shit out of her.  
  
"I will take it! I will take the Ring. Though.....I don't know the way." Frodo yelled above the shouting. Then Strider, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, and Boromir said they would go with him. Then Sam, Merry, and Pippin popped out of hidding places and said that they would follow him.  
  
"BLOODY HELL!! ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR FUCKIN' MINDS!?!?! THAT LITTLE RING CAN BE THE DEATH OF ALL OF YOU!!!" Ratchet exploded. "That little golden ring can blast you all to hell and back without even trying if it got into that one dudes hands!" she was on her feet and glaring at the little council. She may not have been listening to most of the talk, but she had listened to the important parts.  
  
"It has to be done." Legolas said.  
  
Ratchet just shook her head, scowling at them. "You've all flipped your lids. Gone loony." then she grinned. "Hey, i'm pretty nutty myself. I guess i'll join your suicide mission." When she saw all of them start to protest, she raised her hands to make them stop. "Frodo can use all the help he can get. So either take advantage of my momentary loss of brains, or let me get bored silly in Rivendell, wondering if you asses have got yourselves killed yet."  
  
Everyone stared at her. Then Boromir started to chuckle. The girl was a little spitfire. They could use her on the quest.  
  
"I think she should go." Boromir said.  
  
Elrond raised and eyebrow at him. Then he thought about it. The girl could fight well. He had watched her training sessions with Aragorn, and she fought really well with a sword. She could definitley help fend off the orcs that they were bound to face.  
  
"All right. You ten shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Elrond said. He would never be able to live it down if Ratchet stayed in Rivendell. She would harass him to no end.  
  
"Yay! So when do we start?" Ratchet asked. Gandalf sighed. This would undoubtedly be a very long, long, long quest.  
  
------------------  
  
The council broke up and Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond went off somewhere to talk about the specifics.  
  
"All this talk about traveling is making me hungry. What do you say about an early lunch?" Pippin said.  
  
Ratchet laughed. "You're always hungry, aren't ya? But then again..." and the little group heard a growling.  
  
"What was that?" Gimli said. "It sounded like a hungry beast!"  
  
Ratchet glared at him. "That was my stomach, you midget." she growled. "Being bored makes me very hungry." She sighed. "A lot of things make me hungry, as a matter of fact. I'm so pathetic." and she shook her head.  
  
Gimli glowered at her. "Don't call me a middget."  
  
"Hey, if the shoe fits..." Ratchet murmured. Only Legolas with his elven hearing and Boromir who was walking next to her heard. They sniggered.  
  
"What's so funny?" Sam asked.  
  
"Pay us no mind." Boromir said with a wave of his hand. He had stopped sniggering and was only smiling.  
  
The group went to the elvish kitchens in search of food. But the elves wouldn't have it, and sent them away. Ratchet got very angry and had to be dragged away by Legolas and Boromir.  
  
She was still fuming when the group found a quiet garden to sit and relax in.  
  
Ratchet suddenly calmed down and looked at Boromir. Boromir warily stared back at her. 'She's up to something' he thought. "Hey Boromir. You are wearing a sword, aren't you?" she asked with a mad grin.  
  
"Yes." he replied slowly. "Why?"  
  
"Well..." and she walked into the middle of the garden and unsheathed her sword. "I haven't had my practice today and it seems Mr.Strider isn't gonna come out and help. Sooooo, if you would be so kind as to be my sparring partner for the day..."  
  
He thought for a second. 'It would be fun to see how good she is' he thought. So he agreed.  
  
The two stood apart from each other, studying the others strengths and weaknesses. 'She should be a little bit of a challenge. But nothing that I can't handle' he thought to himself with a little smile.  
  
That was big mistake number 1 for him.  
  
They gently touched swords then fought. Boromir thought she would be fast, but not this fast! She jabbed on the right, then swung at him on the left. She twisted away from his strikes easily. Which made him surprised, and mad.  
  
That was big mistake number 2.  
  
Ratchet saw that he was surprised, and thought of a way to humiliate as well as beat him.  
  
An idea popped into her head. It was a move that she had used often in fights at school. Her opponents had never seen it coming.  
  
She did a quick flurry of blows to keep his concentration on her sword. Then quickly put her right foot behind his left foot and pulled. At the same time she ducked under his sword and shoved him in the chest.  
  
He hit the ground and tried to roll away, but Ratchet's sword knocked his sword away. Effectively unarming him. She put her sword point at his throat and said, "Checkmate. I win."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Yet another chapter finished! Goody! By the way..... The song in the last chapter is called My Will. It's the english transation, since the real thing is in japanese. You can hear the japanese version on Inu-Yasha.  
  
Pinky: Pwease R/R!!! 


	5. RESPECT, Comics, And A Trip Down Memory ...

"Checkmate. I win." Ratchet said with an evil grin. Boromir just stared up at her. He had been beaten by a girl! And a cocky girl at that. Then Boromir grinned back at her.  
  
She re-sheathed her sword and offered him her hand. He took it and she hauled him up. "That was a new experience." he said cheerfully.  
  
"I bet. I wonder how your people will react when the son of the steward of Gondor was beaten by a girl."  
  
Boromir just sighed. "Ah, who knows? My father will probably be a little angry at me. But you fight really well. I was informed that you had never beaten Strider before." he asked curiously.  
  
"When one holds back, one does not expect to win." she answered crypticly. But Legolas understood it.  
  
"You mean to say that you have not been trying?" Legolas asked, a little surprised.  
  
"Yes. I would have lost something to do if I had beaten him all the time. He would have stopped the lessons and said that I would have learned all I could from him. Men." and she looked to the sky and mouthed something.  
  
Boromir and Legolas were shocked to hear this revelation. They both came to the conclusion that the girl must have been an extremely good fighter to not have to try to come close to beating Aragorn.  
  
"Honestly. What would I have gained anyway from beating him? Besides, if he doesn't practice he could become rusty. The last thing we need is a guy who's tryin' to remember how to fight during a battle." The Hobbits giggled at her.  
  
"What have you gained from beating me?" Boromir asked her suddenly. She looked at him for a moment.  
  
"Your respect, for one thing. And a little 'wake-up call.'" Gimli snorted. "And what, Master Gimli, was that for?" Ratchet turned and stared at him with her nearly-black eyes.  
  
"Why should I explain my actions to a girl?" he asked her.  
  
Ratchet's eyes flashed and, for a minute, seemed blacker than black. "Girl? I have beaten men taller and stronger than you in my home town. I have barely gotten out of fights with my life because a bunch of gang-bangers thought it funny to pick on a girl." she growled at him.  
  
"So? Height means nothing in a fight." Gimli growled back. He hadn't the slightest clue what 'gang-bangers' were.  
  
"Maybe not. But brains sure do. I wonder if you have that qualification." she sneered at him. Gimli was ready to pull out his ax and fight her, when Gandalf entered the scene.  
  
"Ah, i'm glad to find you all together. The plans have been made. We shall set out from Rivendell in a few days. You would all be smart to get your things ready." and he left.  
  
"Saved by the wizard." Ratchet whispered to Gimli before taking off to her own room.  
  
In her room, Ratchet emptied out her backpack. She found all kinds of things, like comic books and food, for a small example. She found hmework that had been lost and some money, CD's and a CD player with batteries, and an apple and a bunch of her favorite comics. Even a few of her favorite books.  
  
"Man, I gotta empty this thing out at least once every week!" she exclaimed as she looked at all the crap that had been pulled out of her backpack. Which was quite a lot.  
  
"Ooooh! Candybar!" she said as she saw an Almond Joy, still in its wrapper, amid all the stuff. She grabbed it and started to wolf it down.  
  
Then, who happened to walk by her open door, but Boromir! He looked absently inside her room and went back to staring at the floor. Then he stopped in his tracks. He looked back inside the room and let his mouth drop open. He saw stuff strewn all over the floor and bed.  
  
Ratchet was too busy eating her Almond Joy and looking at a magazine she swore she had lost at the beginning of the year to notice him. Boromir looked down at the floor-space immediatly in front of him and saw a book.  
  
The book was backwards and was full of pictures. The cover had a picture of a girl with really long hair sitting on something and smiling. The background was blue, and the name of it was Chobits (AN: Chobits rocks!! Sorry if I got the cover wrong. I sort of lost my copy of the first one). He was flipping through the pages, when Ratchet noticed him.  
  
"Ack! Boromir, NO! DON'T LOOK AT THAT!!" Ratchet yelled as she tried to get up. But she slipped on some papers and fell back down. She had Boromir's attention now.  
  
"What?" he asked, confused.  
  
"Gimme that!" was all she said. She finally got up and snatched the book away from him. "You can't read this! This may be rated for people 16 and older, but they didn't count on people like you!" her heart was pounding at the close call. The guys here blushed sometimes when she cussed. How could they take the reading of Chobits? They would be scarred for life!!  
  
"Why can't I read it?" he asked. "I'm not a baby!" he said indignantly.  
  
Ratchet laughed. "I know that you smartass! But trust me on this. You couldn't handle this book, or the pictures."  
  
"Picture books are for children. I don't see why I can't read it!" and he snatched the comic book and ran. Ratchet hesitated for a second, then chased after him.  
  
"Boromir! Give it back! BOROMIR!!!" she yelled as she ran after him. Elves looked up from their tasks to see the man and girl race past. Elves just walking had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over by them.  
  
As Ratchet's luck, or unluckiness, would have it, she ran into Merry and Pippin. AGAIN! That gave Boromir more of a head start than ever.  
  
"Stupid jack-asses!" she yelled at them as hurriedly raced off, sort of crouching like Igor in the Frankenstein movies would.  
  
She race in the general direction that Boromir had went in, and it didn't take her long to find him.  
  
He was sitting on a bench, staring open mouthed at a page. Ratchet ran up to him and saw that he was looking at a really wrong part (where Hideki is looking for Chi's on switch and finds it in a very....hidden place). She grabbed the book and tried to get her breath back.  
  
"What the devil was that?" Boromir asked, still shaken up by what he had seen. What the boy had been doing to that young woman was so....wrong!  
  
"I told you! But noooooo! You just had to look at it!" she replied sarcasticly.  
  
"Why do you read stuff like that!" he exploded. "Children shouldn't be allowed to read things such as that!"  
  
"Boromir! This isn't a kids book! See! It says 'OT', which means Older Teens! That means people who are 16 and older are allowed to read it! I'm old enough to read this!" she yelled back. "Jeez! It's only a comic book!" and she stalked off to her room. "I still have to get ready for the quest!"  
  
Boromir was furious. What was a comic book? How dare she talk to him like that! So what if she had beaten him once!  
  
Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin were looking for Ratchet to say that they were sorry. They saw her walking down a hallway, and were about to call out to her, when they heard her angry mutterings and saw her face. She did not look like she wanted to be disturbed. So they watched her walk by. The last thing they heard from her was, "Stupid royalty. Stupid Boromir. Stupid..."  
  
----------------  
  
Nighttime had finally hit Rivendell. All of its occupants had gone to sleep, except for one.  
  
Ratchet. She had been too worked up to sleep, and the fight had brought back a memory that she wished she could just forget.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
"No! You can't go! I won't let you!" Ratchet yelled.  
  
"But I have to go!" Kokuyo pleaded.  
  
"No! That woman has done nothing for you!"  
  
"She's my mother! I have to go to her!"  
  
"So what? What has she ever done to help you!? She left you for some drunk idiot!" Ratchet was furious at Kokuyo. How could he not see that he owed that woman, who called herself his mother, nothing! She had left her only son with his abusive father, and went traipsing off with a drunk guy. Kokuyo's father hadn't been abusive in the beginning.  
  
But when his mom had left, then his dad started to beat him. He blamed his son for the mothers leaving.  
  
"She still part of my blood. Blood relatives have to help out blood relatives. No matter what they have or haven't done." Kokuyo stated. Ratchet snorted.  
  
"And how do you propose to get to Denver, Colorado? Hitch-hike? That bitch certainly ain't payin'."  
  
"I'll find a way. I have to." Kokuyo said firmly.  
  
"You bastard! Can't you see what she's doing?" Ratchet screamed. Kokuyo tried to grab her hand, but she backed away. "Fuck this, Kokuyo! I won't go through with this stupid plan of yours!" and she ran off.  
  
Kokuyo followed her out. She was running towards the parking lot on the other side of the street. "Wait! Aerin!" he called out.  
  
She stopped in the middle of the street. "What Kokuyo? I don't want to watch this crazy game that you're playing with yourself! Can't you see that she's just trying something? She's not really sick!" She kept yelling at him, not stopping.  
  
So she didn't notice the car that was speeding down the street. But Kokuyo did. "Aerin! Get out of the street!" Kokuyo said, running towards her again. But she wasn't listening to him.  
  
What happened next, seemed to happen in slow motion for Ratchet and Kokuyo.  
  
Kokuyo knocked Ratchet onto the sidewalk. The car hit Kokuyo and knocked him twelve feet past the curb. The car stopped and the driver got out. The driver of the car and Ratchet ran to Kokuyo. The driver of the car called 911 on his cell phone, while Ratchet cradled Kokuyo's head in her lap. She started to cry.  
  
"Kokuyo? I'm so sorry." she whispered to him. His head was bleeding and one arm had gone limp.  
  
"'S okay Aerin. I'm just glad that your safe." he whispered back.  
  
"It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." Ratchet started to shake a little.  
  
"Don't cry. Please, don't cry." Kokuyo whispered. He took his good arm and wiped away some of her tears.  
  
"I'm so scared Kokuyo. Please, don't die."  
  
"I'm afraid I am. I can't feel my legs, and it hurts to breathe."  
  
"No, Kokuyo. Don't leave me. You're all I have." The sound of sirens could be heard now. "You hear that? It's the doctors. They're gonna make you better." She attempted to smile.  
  
"Aerin?" He coughed, and blood came out.  
  
"Yes?" she was crying a little harder now.  
  
"I love you, Aerin Williams. We'll see each other again sometime." and he gave her a smile, before closing his eyes forever.  
  
"Kokuyo? Kokuyo! KOKUYO!!" she screamed. The doctors arrived and pulled her away frm him. They just shook their heads and covered him up with a black blanket. "KOKUYO!!!"  
  
~*End Flashack*~  
  
"Why'd he leave me?" Ratchet asked herself. "Why?"  
  
She went over to the piles of crap that were still on her floor, but more organized. She dug through one pile and found her wallet. It said in red letters 'Lucky 13' and had two dice and blue flames on it. It was made out of real black leather, and kept her favorite pictures, some cards, and her money in it.  
  
Ratchet opened it and pulled out a picture of her and Kokuyo. It was the last picture taken of them together before he had died.  
  
She stared at it for a few minutes. Then set it on her bed, and she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.  
  
--------------------  
  
Boromir looked around the breakfast table. Ratchet was missing this morning. The elf, Arwen, said that Ratchet was not hungry this morning and was very tired.  
  
Lord Elrond had just sighed and said that they should leave her alone. Aragorn looked releived at Elrond's decision. The Hobbit, Frodo, had said that it was probably because he didn't want to get punched again. The other Hobbits had giggled.  
  
But Boromir was worried that it had been because of him that she was not attending breakfast. So afterwards, he decided to pay her a visit.  
  
He knocked on her door. "What?" a voice from inside said. He took that as a come in.  
  
The room was a little more organized than the last time he was there. But things were still all over the floor. "Whaddo ya want?" Ratchet asked from the bed. She was curled into a ball and in some black pants and a white shirt.  
  
"I was wondering why you didn't come to breakfast." Boromir said from the door.  
  
Ratchet recognised his voice, but didn't act like she did. "I wasn't hungry. Go 'way." She could hear him walk closer.  
  
"Is that the real reason?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. Now shove off." All she wanted was to be left alone at the moment. That stupid fight yesterday. Did he think that was why she wanted to be left alone? Probably.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked. He moved closer.  
  
"Do I need to spell it out for ya? Now go!" she yelled at him. 'He just wants to know if you're all right' her conscience said. Great.  
  
Boromir wondered what was wrong. Something had to be wrong. It must be something besides the fight they had yesterday. If that was what you could call it. He just stood there, looking at her.  
  
"Fine! I'll go, since you seem to be so happy standing there!" Ratchet got up from the bed and grabbed her sword, put on some boots, and left. Boromir was about to leave when he saw a picture on the bed. It was better than any artist he had ever seen been able to do.  
  
It was a picture of two people. Ratchet was smiling and in the arms of a tall man. He had short black spiky hair and blue eyes. He was about a head taller than her and wearing all black. He had two earings in one ear and was wearing a silver chain necklace.  
  
Boromir sighed and left her room. Ratchet was a very complicated child. It would be very interesting to see how she acted on the quest.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Ratchet was now officially in a bad mood. She felt like hitting the first person who tried to talk to her. But apparently, everyone was smart enough to not talk to her. They just stayed out of her way. It reminded her of how everyone acted at school.  
  
That made her mood even worse. She had to get her frustration out. So, she did the only thing she could think of doing. She let out a frusrtated scream, and punched the wall.  
  
Now, since the wall was made out of marble, her hand wasn't in very good shape. She felt several bones crack and her knuckles were a bloody mess. Ratchet took deep calming breaths to keep from screaming in pain.  
  
Frodo must have heard her scream, because he came running down the hallway. "Ratchet! Ratchet, are you all right?" he asked. Then he saw her hand. "Oh my.... We have to get you to a healer."  
  
She tried to protest, because she knew somebody would make a fuss about it. But Frodo just took her arm and took her to the sick ward. The healers did make a fuss. They talked about how she was still recovering from the poison and that she shouldn't go around getting herself hurt.  
  
And then Arwen showed up, talking to Elrond. Oh, that was the icing on the cake. "What have you done to get that?" Elrond asked when he saw her bandaged hand.  
  
"I punched a wall." she said simply. There was no point in lying to him.  
  
"Punched a wall? What did it do to you?" Elrond asked with a little smirk. He found it a little funny.  
  
"I was frustrated. So, I punched the wall. Last time I do that." she said, frowning at her hand. Her fingers moved stiffly, and she couldn't make a complete fist. This was one of the times that her temper and problems got the better of her. "Next time, i'll throw something. Or punch a pillow. At least a pillow's soft, and won't break my hand."  
  
Ratchet left and went to one of the numerous gardens. She sat down on the grass and stared at nothing. She let her eyes unfocus and her mind wander. It helped her relax and get her thoughts in order. So naturally she didn't see Legolas enter the garden.  
  
Legolas didn't even notice her until he was standing a few feet away from her. She didn't even seem to notice him. Strange, Ratchet was usually more alert than that. He stood there and watched her. Suddenly, she had trouble breathing. She started gasping and grabbed her sword at her side, but didn't pull it out.  
  
He went up to her, and saw that her face was deathly pale, and she was sweating. Then she blinked, and looked up at him. She blinked again, and relaxed.  
  
"Legolas? What did I do a few minutes ago?" Ratchet asked him.  
  
"You started to gasp for breath and sweat. Then you grabbed your sword, but didn't pull it out." he answered her. Then he noticed the bandages on her left hand. "What happened to your hand?"  
  
She looked at her hand and frowned. Then stood up, and looked around. "Nothing. I think i'll get my mess cleaned up in my room." and she walked off.  
  
'How strange' Legolas thought. 'I wonder if she is feeling well.'  
  
Ratchet did clean up her room. All the while thinking about what had just happened. She had been in the middle of thinking what was for lunch, when the gibberish murmurings had started. The same ones that had started in the council. Whatever had been making them, was pure evil. It was all because of that stupid ring.  
  
Gandalf walked into Ratchet's room to find her deep in thought. He waited until she noticed him to start speaking. "We will be leaving the day after tomorrow. Make sure you pack everything you need by tomorrow night." he informed her. She nodded to show she understood, and the wizard left.  
  
Ratchet let out a sigh. "Get a hold of yourself. You're going on a fun little trip to destroy a little golden ring that an evil dude wants to use to rule the world. It'll a snap." She laughed, "Not!" 


	6. We're Off To Destroy The Ring! & A ChitC...

Faulkner: So sorry aboout the wait!!!  
  
Pinky: There are some things you can't control!  
  
CrystalMeth: Like girls...  
  
Faulkner: Shove it Crystal.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The rest of that day and the next day were a little hectic. Everyone was rushing to get things ready. But on the morning of the quest, everything was calm.  
  
All the members of the quest had people to say good-bye to, except for Ratchet. But she didn't care. She had been woken up early (too early in her mind) and was trying to get some extra sleep in. While Gimli was saying bye to his pals, Aragorn off somewhere with Arwen, Frodo and the Hobbits with an older Hobbit named Bilbo, Gandalf talking with Elrond, Legolas with a group of elves from Mirkwood, and Boromir with some humans from Gondor; Ratchet was sitting on a rock. Eyes shut, trying to sleep.  
  
"Wake-up. Or else the Fellowship will leave without you." someone whispered in her ear. It was Legolas.  
  
"I don't see why we have to leave so early. We have a whole day ahead of us." she grumbeld. And the Fellowship of the Ring left Rivendell, with one companion half asleep.  
  
~*Five Hours Later*~  
  
You look to the right and you see trees. You look to your left and you see trees. You look behind you and you see trees. Ratchet loved trees as much as the next person, but this was crazy!  
  
They had stopped a few minutes ago and had a little lunch. Then started walking again. She wondered if they would ever get to the good stuff. Like fighting and maybe some plains. Not just trees all over the place.  
  
"Hey Boromir. How many fights have you been in?" Ratchet asked.  
  
"Many." was his short answer.  
  
After about a week or so, they reached a nice big hill. It had a beautiful view of the forest below and in the distance you could make out a little town. They were having a lunch break, when Boromir decided to give Merry and Pippin a sword fighting lesson. It was pretty funny to watch the Hobbits fight a man twice their size.  
  
"1, 2, 3," Boromir counted as he traded blows with Merry. "Good, good."  
  
"Move your feet." Aragorn said from the rock he was sitting on. He was having a nice little time smoking a pipe.  
  
It was Pippin's turn, then Merry's. On Pippin's next turn, Boromir accidentally nicked his fingers. "Ow!" Pippin cried out, dropping his sword.  
  
Boromir sheathed his sword and hurrieed over to Pippin. "Sorry!" he said as he got closer.  
  
"Get him!" Pippin yelled as he and Merry jumped Boromir. "For the Shire!"  
  
Aragorn, Sam, Frodo, and Ratchet started laughing at the wrestling Hobbits and man. The two were trying to tickle Boromir into submission. Then Aragorn got up to try and get them off. But Pippin and Merry just tripped him attacked him also. Ratchet was about to jump in and help the humans when Legolas cried out, "Crebain from Dunland!"  
  
"Hide!" Aragorn yelled as he grabbed his stuff. Everyone grabbed their luggage and hid behind the closest rock or bush. A bunch of black birds flew over their hiding spots and circled for a few seconds before flying off.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Ratchet said as she dusted herself off. The stupid dwarf had knocked her over as he was trying to find a good hiding spot.  
  
"It seems our passage south is being watched." Gandalf said as he completely ignored her question. "We will have to take the Pass of Caradhas." and he looked to some snow covered mountains. So they packed back up and started trudging towards the mountains.  
  
------------------------------  
  
"Stupid Gandalf. Stupid snow. Stupid cold." Ratchet grumbled. "Next idea that Gandalf has better be a good one, or i'm gonna kick his old wrinkly ass."  
  
They were walking up the side of a mountain, covered in snow, in a line. First was Gandalf, then Legolas, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo, and bringing up the rear was Ratchet. She was freezing cold and couldn't feel her toes.  
  
"Stupid old wizard. I otta knock what's left of his teeth out." she continued complaining. Then Frodo slipped and started to roll backwards, but Ratchet noticed and stopped him. "You alright squirt?" she asked.  
  
He didn't answer, but instead felt his neck. The chain with the Ring was gone. He frantically looked up the slope for a glint of gold. He spotted the Ring, still on its chain, a little ways away. He started to sigh in relief, when Boromir picked it up.  
  
Frodo's breath caught in his throat.  
  
Ratchet saw Boromir pick up the ring, and she tensed. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer all this pain and sorrow over such a small thing. Such a little thing." Boromir whispered as he stared at the Ring dangling on its chain in his hands.  
  
"Be a good Bugle Boy and give the Ring to Frodo." Ratchet said.  
  
Boromir looked back to them and hesitated for a second. Then slowly walked towards them and handed it to Frodo. "I care not." he said with a little smile as he ruffled Frodo's hair and continued up the mountain.  
  
"You okay?" she asked the Hobbit. He was shaking a little bit.  
  
"Yeah. I guess." he answered. "Just a little tired."  
  
"Well, I agree with you there. Stupid old coot." she said with a frown. Then started walking again. They had fallen behind. When they were right behind Boromir again, Ratchet said in a louder voice so everyone could hear, "Some of us aren't exactly used to walking almost all damn day. I wonder if our immensly wise leader will give us a little break?"  
  
Merry and Pippin started to giggle, Gimli grumbled about women, Aragorn and Boromir traded glances with each other, Legolas grinned back at them, and Gandalf just sighed. "We will take a break after we get a little farther." Gandalf called back.  
  
Ratchet sighed and kept on walking. She figured that if she kept walking she would be able to stay a little warm. The elven clothes may have been the most comfortable, but they were certainly not the warmest! She was freezing cold, and when she got back to Rivendell some one would get their ass kicked!  
  
They walked for about an hour more before stopping. Ratchet plopped down on a rock and started to breathe on her hands to get them warm. It worked for about a couple seconds, then they went cold again. She was getting goosebumps.  
  
Then she felt a weight on her shoulders and immediatly looked up. There was Boromir missing a nice big comfy cloak.  
  
"What? Why are you giving me this?" she asked him.  
  
"You look a bit cold. Thought you could use this more than me." he said with a smile.  
  
"I'll live. Take it back. It's yours anyways." she said as she tried to take it off. But Ratchet was starting to shiver and her fingers were starting to lose feeling.  
  
"Don't try to lie. I can see you're cold. You're shaking."  
  
"Yeah so? I'll tough it out." she said.  
  
"Don't even try. Either keep your pride and freeze. Or swallow it and be warm. Your choice." he said as he walked off. She stared after him for a second, then wrapped the cloak around her and tried to get warm.  
  
They got back up after a bit and started trudging in the snow again. A snowstorm hit near the evening and the Hobbits had to be carried by Aragorn and Boromir. Legolas was nancing around on the top of the snow while Gandalf led the way through it. No one was liking the trip one bit.  
  
Legolas suddenly ran ahead and called back, "There is a fell voice on the air!"  
  
Gandalf yelled back, "It's Saruman!" Then lightening hit the mountain and tons of snow fell on them. The last thing Ratchet remembered was a pair of hands pulling her up out of the snow. Then all was black.  
  
------------  
  
Ratchet had the weirdest and scariest dream of her life. She was floating over some mountain range and staring at bleak land. There was a volcano a ways away, blowing its top. A few miles to the left of it was a black castle. The ground seemed to be moving as rows and rows of ugly things moved towards the castle.  
  
She felt a white hot heat all over her body. She looked towards the castle again and saw a red glowing... thing...on the top of the tallest spire. Then she was being pulled towards the castle by some unknown force. Ratchet tried to stop, but couldn't.  
  
When she got closer, she wished she was a hundred thousand miles away. The red glowing thingy was a great fire eye. It stared at her with such an intensity, like a scientist studying some new species of animal. Then she heard a chuckling in her head, which confused her.  
  
~You are strong for a mortal.~ a voice said in her head. The heat was intense, she felt like she would melt.  
  
"So?" she choked out.  
  
~You have been in pain. Been betrayed by your own race. I can help you get revenge. That's what you want, don't you? To show them all your strength and make them pay.~ the voice spoke again. It sent shivers down her spine, even though she was burning up.  
  
"What's your point?" Her mouth was extremely dry. Her voice was getting raspy.  
  
~I can help you show them all. I can get them to show you respect, treat you the way you deserve to be treated. I can teach you how to bring out that strength that is bottled up inside and show them what you're made of.~  
  
This gigantic eyeball was creepin her out. But the offer was pretty tempting. "What's the catch?" There was always a catch.  
  
~That you give me back what was taken from me long ago.~  
  
"What's that?"  
  
~My Ring. I had made it. It is mine! Take it from whoever has it and return it to me!~ the voice roared in her brain. Perfect. Not only was she burning, she was getting a migraine. Just perfect.  
  
Wait. Wait. His Ring????  
  
FUCK! SAURON! FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!!!!!!!  
  
NOT FUCKIN GOOD!!!!  
  
"Sooooooo...... You're Sauron?" she asked as calmly as she could. This was sooooooo not good.  
  
~So you have heard of me. Good. Will you take my offer?~ he asked.  
  
"No." Ratchet flat out refused. But... it was very tempting. She had either been put down or ignored all her life. She would be able to get her revenge. Ahhhhh, sweet revenge! But evil was evil. No matter how tempting it was.  
  
~Why? I could give you all you have ever wanted out of life. Revenge and power! Why not take it?~ Sauron was sounding a little agitated. Powerful Dark Lord that is getting cranky? Not good.  
  
"I can get revenge by myself. I don't need your help, or anyone elses. Besides, if you have that stupid little ring, we'd all be in deep shit. And i'm not talking about the smelly kind." she said with a smirk.  
  
The heat suddenly intensified ten times. ~I have your soul! Do not get cocky with me! Tell me where the Ring is! Or do I have to torture you!?~  
  
"Awwww. Does little baby need a nap?" she sneered at the eyeball. Not a good idea. The heat increased a hundred times.  
  
~TELL ME WHERE MY RING IS!!~ Sauron screamed in her mind. Wow. A second Hell. How quaint.  
  
She cursed at him in Japanese, calling him many colorful (not to mention rude) names. Though it was in a different language, Sauron got the idea. The heat was extremely unbearable. Then it stopped.  
  
~You shall meet your end. Body and soul going through all the tortures ever created. You will regret this.~  
  
Everything went pitch black and Ratchet felt a little chilly. She opened up her eyes and thought she was still in that place where Sauron was.  
  
"SHIT!" she screamed, not thinking clearly.  
  
A very dirty and tired Fellowship came into her range of sight. They all had concerned looks and the Hobbits sat down right next to her. "Are you all right Ratchet?" Sam asked.  
  
Ratchet stared at them. "Where the hell are we?" she asked with a confused expression. Everyone broke into relieved smiles.  
  
"We are at the walls of Moria." Aragorn said.  
  
"Moria? Wait. Don't tell me right now." she said as she set her head in her hands. "Let my head adjust."  
  
"Are you all right?" Legolas asked her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." she said in a tired voice. "Just a bit... hmmm... disoriented. Don't worry. I'll be fine." The two humans, wizard, dwarf, and elf believed her and went off to what they were doing. But the Hobbits still sat next to her.  
  
"Are you sure? You look a little pale." Pippin said.  
  
She was going to say something like 'So would you if you just had a conversation with Sauron.' But she thought that would make them question her sanity. So, instead she said, "You would be too if you suddenly fell unconcious in an avalanche. At least, I think that's what happened." She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to remember.  
  
"Everyone was digging themselves out of the snow. Aragorn looked around and asked where you were. Boromir turned around in the snow and said you were right in front of him. Legolas began to dig and found you lying in the snow, all pale. Gimli said... Well he said..." and Frodo didn't finish.  
  
" S'all right Frodo. I'm gonna get that smelly old dwarf back." She tried to stand up to prove her point, but four Hobbits were in the way. "It would be a helluva lot easier if I got a little space to work with."  
  
The Hobbits all said sorry and stepped back. Ratchet got up and weaved a little. She felt dizzy, and like she was gonna puke. Four Hobbits immediately came up to next to her to steady her. Everything stopped moving and she felt hands on her arms.  
  
"Thanks guys. Got a little dizzy there for a minute. I'm better now, so go play with the others now." and she smiled at them. The little guys were like brothers to her. It felt nice.  
  
Gimli was invovled with a little conversation with Legolas. She didn't interrupt and decided to surprise the dwarf later. Ratchet walked over to a rock and sat down. The giant lake in front of the walls was still as death. It was really creepy.  
  
Then she thought back to the chit-chat with Sauron. That was even creepier. She shivered in memory of that creepy eye.  
  
"Cold again?" someone said behind her. Ratchet thought it was Sauron (AN: Makes ya wonder what goes on in her brain) and drew her sword as she whirled around. It was only Boromir.  
  
She frowned at him and pet her sword away. "No. Just thinkin'." she replied. Then sat back down.  
  
"May I sit down?" he asked.  
  
"Be my guest." she replied.  
  
"I don't mean to intrude...but... what were you thinking about?" he asked after a moment of silence.  
  
Ratchet sighed. "Nothing important. Just my dream. Well... nightmare actually."  
  
"What was it about?"  
  
"Curious little bugger, ain't cha?" she said with smirk.  
  
"Forgive me. I did not-"  
  
"Relax. I'm just messin' with ya."  
  
Ratchet was just about to say what her dream was about when they heard a scraping sound. They turned around and saw the Doors of Moria open. Everyone grabbed their gear and started in. Gimli was saying something about food and mines, when Boromir said quietly. "This is no mine. It is a tomb."  
  
The Hobbits backed up towards the entrance, Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords, and Legolas pulled an arrow out of a carcass. "Goblins." he said with disgust as he backed up.  
  
"We should never have come here." Boromir grumbled.  
  
Then Frodo screamed. "Strider!" Sam called out. The Hobbits were hacking at a tentacle that had grabbed Frodo's ankle. After that one was cut off, a bunch more came out of the lake and pushed the Hobbits away as it grabbed Frodo again and lifted him into the air.  
  
Boromir and Aragorn waded into the lake and cut at the tentacles that they could reach. Legolas had drawn his bow and was shooting at the one that held Frodo.  
  
"Forget this!" Ratchet yelled as she ran up to Legolas. "Your just wasting your arrows! Wait until the thing shows his head! Then aim for that!" He was planning on ignoring her when she grabbed his bow out of his hands.  
  
"Hey!" he cried and made a grab for his bow, but only fell on his hands. Ratchet took this opportunity to grab a couple of arrows and take aim. Legolas got up and was about to grab his bow when he heard a roar.  
  
The beast had shown his head and had opened his mouth. Frodo, Boromir, and Aragorn were yelling and it was altogether confusing. Ratchet notched an arrow and hoped to God that she wouldn't screw up. She pulled the string back as far as she could and aimed for the things eyes. All the while praying that everything would be all right.  
  
The arrow flew from the bow and hit its intended target. The thing roared and dropped Frodo, who landed in Boromir's arms.  
  
"Into the mine!" Gandalf yelled, and they all charged back into Moria.  
  
The creature roared and brought the entrance down, successfully ending the decision of whether to go through the mine, or go somewhere else.  
  
Ratchet handed Legolas his bow and went to see the Hobbits. "All right there Frodo?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm fine." he answered. She nodded at him and turned to Gandalf.  
  
"How long till we get to the other side?" she asked.  
  
"It will be a four day journey. Be on your guard. There are older and far more fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world." he replied. Someone accidentally kicked a dead body and made a noise. "Quietly now. Let us hope that our passage goes unnoticed."  
  
"Fat chance." Ratchet whispered. Boromir and Legolas smiled wryly.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Again, i'm sorry for the long wait. My laptop crashed and I had to get everything fixed.  
  
CrystalMeth: No internet PORNO for 2 WEEKS!!!! AHHHH!!  
  
Pinky: You're sick....  
  
CrystalMeth: At least they were adults and not kids. Now THATS SICK!!!!! 


	7. Moria And Hidden Sorrows

Faulkner: Hello everyone! I'd just like to say thankies for reading my story!  
  
Pinky: Please review afterwards! Master needs motivation to write!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The Mines of Moria? More like the Maze of Moria! There were tons of stairs and ladders and passages. Thank God that Gandalf had gone through Moria before. Or else they would have been lost in a matter of minutes.  
  
And the stairs were another thing. Ratchet hated stairs, doors, and chairs. She thought they were one of the conspiracies of the world, like rain. (AN: Inside joke there! Me and my friends keep finding things that are odd and creepy. So we call them conspiracies!) She had absolutely refused to climb the endless staircases.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
"What, in the name of all that's holy, are those?" Ratchet asked with the faintest trace of fear. "And please don't say stairs."  
  
"Then I would be lying if I said they weren't stairs." Gandalf said with a sigh. "Let us keep going. It will be a while until we next stop."  
  
Everyone started climbing the stairs when Boromir noticed Ratchet wasn't following. He stopped and stared at her.  
  
"Aren't you coming?" he asked.  
  
"Why can't there be an escalator, or elevator around here? I swear, my life is cursed. It's so simple. My life is cursed." she sighed. "Do I hafta?" she whined.  
  
"Yes, unless you want to left behind." What was wrong with her?  
  
"I hate stairs. Stairs are a plague upon the world. They are only meant to torture people." she grumbled as she followed the Fellowship up the millions upon billions stairs.  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
All the walking up was making her calves burn. She wanted to stop and take a breather, but that would mean being left behind. Not good to be left behind in a stinky old mine where dead dwarves lay. Not good at all.  
  
They were walking in a rough line, with Gandalf in the lead, then Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Boromir, the Hobbits, and a tired Ratchet. Ratchet was thinking about how she would have put grease on the steps to make someone slip and fall. Or tar to make them stuck on the steps until someone came along to pull them off, when a clattering noise interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Careful Pip. You might hurt yourself." She said as she helped up the tired Hobbit.  
  
"Sorry. Lost my footing for a second and accidentally slipped." he breathed out. He was sounding as tired as she felt.  
  
"S'all right. Just be careful."  
  
So they climbed up, and up, and up into the heavens. Or so Ratchet thought.  
  
After a while they stopped at a landing and set all their stuff down.  
  
"We will sleep here until we are a little more rested." Gandalf said as he sat his old bones on a boulder.  
  
"Finally." Ratchet whispered to no one in particular. The Fellowship picked out spots to lay their cloaks and sleep. Boromir took the first watch, even though there wasn't really anything to watch for.  
  
The Hobbits picked spots close to Ratchet, and she didn't mind. They were like her little brothers. Very short brothers with hairy feet...  
  
"Ratchet?" a voice whispered from somewhere close by.  
  
"Yeah?" she answered. A body moved. It was only Frodo.  
  
"I can't sleep. This place is scary and oddly quiet." He sounded tired enough. But the place was freaky enough to keep anyone awake.  
  
"I can't sleep either. These mines are creepy." Merry said from her left. Sam and Pippin sat up and agreed with him.  
  
"Well. Let me think...What's a good song that will put you to sleep? Hmmm..." Ratchet searched her brain for a quiet song that put them to sleep. "I know..." She sang a beautiful love song that was quiet enough.  
  
"Too much time has passed by to  
  
Lament that we were deeply in love  
  
The wind keeps blowing, while my heart  
  
Cannot heal all the tears in it."  
  
Aragorn heard a soft voice singing. He barely picked up the words, and thought about Arwen. He loved her too much to let that happen to her. He wanted to do the right thing. But... What was the right thing to do?  
  
Legolas easily caught the words that a lovely voice was singing. But it was a sad song. Probably about some lost lover. That was what it sounded like to him.  
  
"Someone, cry for me with parched eyes  
  
The real folk blues  
  
I only want to know what true sadness is  
  
Sitting in muddy water  
  
Isn't such a bad life  
  
If it ends after the first time...."  
  
Boromir wondered who the voice belonged to. He looked over to where he thought it was coming from and saw Ratchet amongst four sleeping Hobbits. Surely.... It couldn't have been her. Could it? He saw her get up and walk over to where he was keeping watch.  
  
"Was that you singing?" he asked.  
  
Ratchet settled herself down on the ground next t him before she answered. "Yep. I bet I sounded horrible. It's been awhile since I last sang."  
  
"No. It was beautiful." he argued. "Never have I heard any ladies in Gondor sing like that. Except for my mother..." and he went quiet, but spoke again. "She died a very long time ago."  
  
"Was she a good mother?"  
  
Boromir was surprised by this, but answered anyway. "Yes. She was very good to my brother and I."  
  
"Then there is no reason to be sad. She took care of you guys and loved ya. She must've died happy."  
  
Boromir thought on that for a second. Ratchet was probably right. His mother was very happy whenever she was with him or his brother, Faramir.  
  
"What is your mother like?" Boromir asked. He didn't know much about the girl.  
  
"I wouldn't know. She's never been around. Always out with my dad doing something. Never really got to know her." she said without any emotion. "Everyday i'd go home to an empty house. I don't know what parents are. I've never had them."  
  
Boromir was about to say something when Ratchet cut in. "Don't say you're sorry. I don't need your pity. I've lived all my life without it, and I think i'm doing just fine." She abruptly got up and set her cloak down in a corner as far away from the Fellowship as she dared. Then turned her back to them and silently cried herself to sleep.  
  
Gandalf stared at the mystery and problem that was Ratchet. He could tell that something had done this to her. But what? A verrrrrry interesting question.  
  
  
  
After the Fellowship had rested up, they started on a narrow trail that winded around the edge of a cliff. On one side there was a wall, the other air. It was altogether a very boring trip. Nothing exciting happening and not really anything to see.  
  
At the next stop, Ratchet remembered something that she had put in her backpack and smiled.  
  
She pulled out her CD player and checked to make sure the batteries were in it. They were. She didn't need to find a CD because there was already one in it. She put on the headphones and prayed that the batteries were fresh.  
  
Ratchet pushed 'play' and held her breath. She let it out as she heard Nickelback playing and relaxed against a pillar. Then went to her own little world as she softly sang.  
  
"He's drunk again, it's time to fight  
  
She must have done something wrong tonight  
  
The living room becomes a boxing ring  
  
It's time to run when you see him clenching his hands  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again  
  
I hear her scream from down the hall  
  
Amazing she can even talk at all  
  
She cries to me.... "go back to bed"  
  
I'm terrified that she'll wind up dead in his hands  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again"  
  
Boromir looked up as he heard someone singing softly. The lyrics spoke of abuse. How cruel.  
  
He looked around, and was surprised again to see that it was Ratchet. She was sitting on the ground and leaning against a pillar. The Hobbits had sat next to her and were listening intently. Ratchet didn't notice because her eyes were closed.  
  
"Been there before but not like this  
  
Seen it before but not like this  
  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again  
  
Just tell the nurse you slipped and fell  
  
It starts to sting as it starts to swell  
  
She looks at you... she wants the truth  
  
It's right out there in the waiting room with those hands  
  
Lookin' just as sweet as he can.... Never again  
  
Been there before but not like this  
  
Seen it before but not like this  
  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again.... Never again"  
  
Legolas wondered why a person would make such a horrible song. He pitied the person that had had this happen to them. Ratchet....  
  
What if this is what happened to her? Was she beaten by her father? How could he ask her something as personal as that? Maybe he should ask Gandalf....  
  
"Father's a name you haven't earned yet  
  
You're just a child with a temper  
  
Haven't you heard "don't hit a lady"  
  
Kickin' your ass would be a pleasure oh ohhhh....  
  
He's drunk again, it's time to fight  
  
Same old shit, just on a different night  
  
She grabs the gun, she's had enough  
  
Tonight she'll find out how fuckin' tough is this man  
  
Pulls the trigger as fast as she can.... Never again"  
  
Gandalf was a bit perplexed at how calm the girl could be while singing such a horrible song. She must have come from a very tough world to be able to think of something like that so calmly.  
  
Aragorn certainly didn't understand her any better. He was just as confused as everyone else was. Except for Gimli. He was denser than rock. He didn't even notice the strange silence, or the soft singing.  
  
"Seen it before but not like this  
  
Been there before but not like this  
  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again  
  
Seen it before but not like this  
  
Been there before but not like this  
  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again  
  
Seen it before but not like this  
  
Been there before but not like this  
  
Never before have I ever seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman.... Never again"  
  
Ratchet wanted to listen to the next song, but decided to save her batteries. She doubted that she would find her way home that soon. So she opened her eyes and turned it off. The sight that greeted her surprised her. Had she been singing that loudly?  
  
The Hobbits were staring at her from their seats next to her. Legolas was sitting next to Gandalf on a boulder. They were staring at her. Boromir was sitting by himself off to her right. He was staring at her too. Aragorn was on her left, near Gandalf and Legolas. He was trying to hide that he was staring at her. Gimli seemed to be in his own little world.  
  
Ratchet was a little unnerved. She grabbed her backpack and wrapped her CD player in a bunch of clothes to keep it safe before she put it in a little box that she had found in her backpack. Perfect fit. 'It should be safe enough' she thought.  
  
"We best get on." Gandalf spoke into the silence. Everyone nodded and got back up. On they trudged.  
  
Eventually they came to a landing that had three doorways. Stupid old Gandalf said he didn't remember this place. So they sat down and Sam lit a little fire to keep them all warm. Gandalf sat with his legs crossed on a giant boulder in front of the three doorways. He had taken off his hat and was staring at each of the doorways in turn.  
  
The Hobbits sat next to each other near the fire, huddled around Ratchet. Boromir and Legolas sat on boulders. Aragorn and Gimli were sitting a little ways away from the others.  
  
"Merry?" Pippin called softly.  
  
"Yeah?" Merry said.  
  
"I'm hungry." Pippin complained.  
  
"When are you not?" Ratchet teased. Frodo got up and went over to Gandalf and started to talk to him. "I hope the old geezer figures out which door soon."  
  
Sam suddenly shivered. "What's wrong?" Ratchet whispered to him.  
  
"This place feels, well.... evil." he said.  
  
"I know whatcha mean. It isn't exactly a place that you wanna spend a vacation in." she sighed.  
  
"Could you sing us another song?" Pippin pleaded. "You sing really well."  
  
Ratchet stared at him. He thought she sang good? That was the first sincere compliment she had heard in a long time. Then she smiled at him. "I dunno if I should...."  
  
"Pleeeeeease Ratchet? It helps keep our spirits up. Pleeeeease?" Merry leaned on her and begged.  
  
"All right, all right." she relented. "But i'm not gonna sing too loudly. I might make something wake up." She thought for a second, then picked a particular favorite.  
  
"Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
On nights when I can't settle down no matter what,  
  
I just want to throw anything and everything away.  
  
Don't bitch and complain, just open the door, ya know.  
  
I don't have time to quibble with you.  
  
I want to fly all over the place  
  
I wanna throw caution to the wind  
  
It isn't because i've lost anything.  
  
It's because nothings even started yet."  
  
Boromir wasn't the only one wondering where Ratchet got all the strange songs she sang. They were so odd, compared to the ones sang in Middle- Earth. They would have to ask her some time.  
  
"Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
What do you want? What do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?  
  
Cut through the darkness and run to grab what you want through the night."  
  
Ratchet would have continued, but Gandalf said, "Ah-hah! It's that way!"  
  
"He's remembered!" Merry cried as he got up.  
  
"Crud! That was such a good song." Pippin sighed.  
  
"Don't worry Pip. I'll sing the whole song later for ya." Ratchet whispered to him as she grabbed her backpack.  
  
They went down some stairs in the middle doorway, and came to a hallway. They followed that to a small set of stairs that led to some kind of room.  
  
"Let us shed some light..." Gandalf mumbled to himself. The stone on his staff became brighter until they saw that the room held rows of HUMONGOUS pillars. I'm talkin *skyscraper* humongous.  
  
"That's an eye-opener, no mistake." Sam whispered.  
  
"You said it." Ratchet whispered back. They walked among the pillars, staring at them. Then Gimli noticed a room over to the side. He started to walk towards it.  
  
"No.... Nooo!" Gimli cried out as he ran inside.  
  
"Gimli!" Gandalf called to the dwarf. But he wouldn't listen.  
  
Inside the small room a big coffin sat in the middle with weird writing on the top. Gandalf read it out loud as Ratchet looked around the room. It had bodies strewn all over the floor, still in their armor. Some looked as if they had been crushed by something big.  
  
Gandalf handed his staff and hat to Pippin as he read from a big book. Ratchet only caught the last sentence, "They're coming." Pippin got curious and touched an arrow in a dwarven body that was sitting on the edge of a kind of well.  
  
The body fell and clattered down. Then a chain followed it, and soon the bucket that it was tied to. The sound echoed all around them as the bucket, body, and chain fell. Gandalf snapped the book shut and set it on the floor.  
  
"Fool of a Took!" he scolded Pippin as he grabbed his hat and staff. "Next time throw yourself in and rid us all of your stupidity!"  
  
Suddenly a deep boom resonated from somewhere in the mine. Everyone looked around for the place where the sound came from. Then three more came.  
  
"Mr.Frodo, your sword!" Sam called out. Frodo pulled out his sword a little ways to see the blue glow that it gave off.  
  
"Orcs!" Legolas said, stating the obvious.  
  
"Ohhhhh shit..." Ratchet grumbled as she pulled out her elven sword. "Well. Time to see what we're made of." Silently she hoped that they would all get out alive.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: The first song is from Cowboy Bebop. The second one is Never Again by Nickelback. The third one is Through The Night from Outlaw Star. OUTLAW STAR AND COWBOY BEBOP ROCK HEAVEN, HELL, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!!!!!  
  
Pinky & CrystalMeth: -___-UUUUU 


	8. Lament 4 Gandalf & Stupid Arrows

Faulkner: Sorry it's takin' me so long to update. I'm being drowned in homework!!  
  
Pinky: Master sends her deepest apologies.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The drums echoed off the walls in the great mines. The Hobbits drew their swords and prayed for their lives. Aragorn yelled at the Hobbits, "Stay close to Gandalf and Ratchet!"  
  
Boromir went to the doorway and looked around. He jerked his head back just as two arrows sunk into the door where his head was.  
  
"They have a cave troll." he said sarcasticly. Him and Aragorn closed the doors and blocked them with discarded weapons that Legolas handed them. Then they backed up and Aragorn and Legolas pulled out their bows while Boromir got out his sword.  
  
Everyone heard the high-pitched screams of the things that were just behind the door. The orcs pounded on the door relentlessly, until they finally came open.  
  
Aragorn and Legolas shot every orc that they could hit, until they came too close. Gimli had jumped up on the coffin and growled, "Let them come. There is one dwarf in Moria that still draws breath."  
  
The fighting was very confusing and all Ratchet could remember afterwards was the stench and sounds. Maybe an occaisonal face. She thought that she had blocked it out. Hell, anyone would have to be nuts to *want* to remember *that*.  
  
The next thing she knew they were running along the pillars, with a horde of orcs after them. She looked up to pray, but saw *orcs* on the roof. Eventually they were surrounded and Ratchet stood protectivley in front of the Hobbits.  
  
The orcs were making a racket and shaking their weapons at them and baring their teeth. Then a deep growl came from somewhere behind them. "Ohhhh fuck. This is soooooo not good." Ratchet gritted her teeth.  
  
"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Gandalf. The thing growled again and all the orcs went back to their hiding spots.  
  
"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world. This foe is beyond any of you. RUN!" Gandalf yelled out the 'run' and headed for some bridge. They all started running again. They raced past the pillars and into another hallway. Then came out into open space. Boromir nearly ran over the edge, but Legolas grabbed his waist and pulled him back.  
  
Then they went down a set of stairs *WITHOUT* railing. Ratchet was feeling sick to her stomach from the height of the stairs. Her mind was screaming that any minute now she was going to fall to her death.  
  
The Fellowship reached a gap in the stairs, which Legolas jumped easily. 'Stupid elf' Ratchet thought.  
  
"Gandalf!" Legolas called with a wave of his arm. Gandalf jumped to the other side. Boromir grabbed Merry and Pippin and jumped over. Then a bit of the stairs fell away.  
  
Aragorn grabbed Sam and tossed him over, where Legolas caught him. Aragorn went to grab Gimli, but the dwarf stated, "Nobody tosses a dwarf." So he jumped over with a yell. His feet slipped and Legolas caught his beard. "Not the beard, not the beard!" Gimli was pulled up.  
  
Then Ratchet got her nerve to jump. She took a couple of steps forward, then took a leap. Her feet landed on loose steps, and she started to fall backwards. But Boromir ran forward and grabbed her before she could fall.  
  
"Thanks Boromir." Her breath was coming fast from the sudden adrenalin. She turned around and saw that the part of stairs that Frodo and Aragorn were on had broken away and was swaying. She didn't hear what Aragorn said, but saw what he was trying.  
  
When the Hobbit and the Ranger were with the others again they ran for dear life. The Balrog was a helluva lot closer and it felt like he was breathing down their necks. They ran across a bridge and turned around to see that Gandalf had stopped in the middle of the bridge.  
  
Ratchet just noticed that the orcs were raining arrows down on them. The Balrog stopped at the edge of the bridge and roared. Then pulled out a flaming sword.  
  
"You cannot pass! I am servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. Dark fire will not avail you Flame of Udun!" Gandalf yelled. The Balrog was like a giant bull with wings, and claws instead of hooves. It's eyes were white and the thing was covered in fire. "Go back to the shadow."  
  
The Balrog brought his sword down on Gandalf, but met a thing of blue, and broke his sword. Then it pulled out a flame whip.  
  
"Gandalf!" Frodo cried out.  
  
"You, shall not, PASS!!" Gandalf yelled out and brought his staff and sword down on the bridge. The Balrog snorted, stepped onto the bridge and raised his whip. But the half the Balrog was standing on broke off and fell, along with the terrifying beast.  
  
Gandalf turned around with a look of relief, so he didn't notice the whip crack back up to grab his ankle.  
  
"GANDALF!" Ratchet cried out and ran to grab him.  
  
Gandalf grabbed the edge of the broken bridge and said with wide eyes, "Fly, you fools!" Then he fell into darkness.  
  
"NOOOOOO!!" Frodo cried out in horror. Boromir grabbed him and held him back. Legolas, the other Hobbits, and Gimli turned and ran to the hallway that led to sweet freedom. Aragorn just stood where he was.  
  
"Aragorn!" Boromir called to bring the ranger to his senses. Then the man of Gondor disapeared into the hallway. Aragorn looked around and saw Ratchet in a crouching position. He pulled her up and they ran for the exit.  
  
When they got outside, everyone was in different states of shock and grief. Merry was holding Pippin who was crying. Sam was sitting on the ground and crying. Frodo was walking around aimlessly. Boromir was consoling Gimli, Legolas was standing and looking at nothing, while Aragorn wiped his sword clean of orc blood.  
  
So no one noticed when Ratchet pulled out an orc arrow from her calf and quickly bandaged it. She had a slight limp, and hoped that no one noticed.  
  
"Legolas. Get them up." Aragorn said. Legolas just turned and stared at him.  
  
"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir argued.  
  
"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs!" Aragorn said as he walked over to Sam and got him up. Legolas got Merry and Pippin to their feet, while Boromir looked around for Ratchet. He found her and walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. She just looked up at him with blank eyes.  
  
"It will be all right." he said.  
  
She stared at him with no emotion. "Why do people always say lies like that in bad times?" she asked him. Then shrugged off his hand and walked over to Merry and Pippin, who latched onto her and buried their faces into her stomach. She put a hand on their shoulders and let them cry.  
  
"Where to next, o fearless leader?" She called out to Aragorn who was walking back to the group with Frodo.  
  
"To the Woods of Lothlorien." he answered.  
  
They walked on down the foothills to the forest in silence. The Hobbits were stuck to Ratchet like a fly to poop. She tried to calm them down with a little song/farewell to Gandalf.  
  
"Inexspressible thoughts  
  
Shall I tell them only to the fading stars  
  
Alone I shall tread  
  
The path I believe in  
  
It is not a thing so light  
  
As to be a dream  
  
Even if I die  
  
I shall not regret it  
  
The song of the wind rocks my heart  
  
Now I close my eyes  
  
And try to forget time  
  
The dark sky hints of flames  
  
Everything burns  
  
And returns to peace."  
  
Ratchet's voice was low and tired. But she kept on singing because the Hobbits seemed to be relaxing a bit. She had to go on for them. But her calf was burning from the arrow wound.  
  
"Nameless flowers  
  
Surrounded by red fire  
  
Anytime there is only one justice  
  
The one in the hands of the victor  
  
It is not a thing so pretty  
  
As that of searching for the future  
  
Even if I make someone weep  
  
I will not lose my way  
  
The song of the wind consoles my heart  
  
Just recall  
  
The smiles someday  
  
The stardust shining in the dark sky  
  
Are those who sometime vanished  
  
The fighters of legends past."  
  
Her leg felt like jelly and she was limping more noticebly. They had just entered the forest. The tree's were huge and beautiful. Everything smelled clean and fresh. There was no scent of blood or sweat. Ratchet tripped, but kept going.  
  
"The song of the wind rocks my heart  
  
Now I close my eyes  
  
And try to forget time  
  
The sky hints of flame  
  
Everything burns  
  
And returns to peace."  
  
Ratchet breathed out peace as she fell to the ground. Her leg ached horribly and she was feeling hot.  
  
"Strider!" one of the Hobbits called out. The Fellowship stopped as Strider pulled Ratchet to her feet. She shook her head and looked up at the concerned faces. She was feeling hot and slightly light-headed.  
  
"Are you all right? Can you go on?" Aragorn asked her.  
  
Ratchet shook her head again and answered, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just tripped, that's all. Come on." She took a step forward with her injured leg and cried out in pain as she started to fall.  
  
Aragorn caught her and leaned her against a tree. He looked at her leg and saw a blood-stained cloth wrapped around her calf. Why hadn't one of the Hobbits noticed?  
  
"You're injured. Legolas, help me." Legolas held Ratchet up as Aragorn unwrapped the bandage and was met with a deep hole in her calf. "An orc arrow hit you?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"I'm fine. I pulled it out." she insisted.  
  
"No you're not. Don't be so stubborn. You're going to need a healer. This wound is too deep for you to walk on it. You'll have to be carried." Ratchet knew what he meant. They needed to hurry and she would be too slow and hold them back.  
  
"I'll take her." Boromir volunteered.  
  
"All right." Aragorn pulled out a clean bandage from somewhere and wrapped it around the wound, which had started to bleed again.  
  
"I'm fine." Ratchet said weakly as she was hauled onto Boromirs back. But her leg was throbbing, and her head was reeling. She struggled a little before she gave into the pain. She dimly remembered wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder before everything just went blank.  
  
She went in and out of conciousness for a while. The first real waking up was slow and short.  
  
When Ratchet opened her eyes, she was still on Boromir's back with her head in his neck. She groaned and turned her head so she could get a better look around. They were still in the forest.  
  
The Hobbits were behind her with Gimli, because she could hear their voices from the back. Aragorn was up front and Legolas was to her left. Her vision was a little blurry, but cleared after she blinked a couple of times.  
  
Boromir suddenly stopped as an arrow was pointed only inches from his face. Ratchet wasn't even fazed as she stared at the elves with their blond hair and arrows pointed at the Fellowship. She recognised Aragorn talking to someone in Elvish.  
  
She felt Boromir tense up under her. Then she felt hands on her injured leg and instinctively kicked out. She smiled as she heard an "ooomph!" Ratchet rested her head on Boromir's other shoulder so she could see who she had kicked in the stomach.  
  
An elf was being helped up by its fellows as he rubbed his stomach and glared at her. He spoke harshly to her in Elvish. She could feel Boromir sniggering by the way he was slightly shaking. Aragorn came into her range of vision and whispered in her ear. "The elf you just kicked is Haldir. He is trying to look at your wound."  
  
Haldir spoke in english this time. "Her leg seems fine if she can kick like that."  
  
"Do not be fooled Haldir of Lorien. She has a strong spirit and merely reacted to what she thought was a threat." Legolas replied for her. Ratchet was regretting her kicking the elf a little.  
  
Her leg was throbbing again and it hurt so bad that her eyes started to water. She clenched her eyes shut to hide her weakness and bit back her little groans as best she could. God, it hurt *A LOT*.  
  
Haldir walked up to her and gently touched her leg, wary of another kick. Ratchet opened her eyes and looked into Haldir's piercing blue eyes. His indignant look softened as he saw her eyes shining with unshed tears and pain. 'She is trying to stay strong' he thought to himself. 'She does not want to appear weak.'  
  
He gently unwrapped the bloodstained bandage and looked at her calf. It was caked in blood and the edges around the wound were an unhealthy shade of red. The arrow must have been poisoned. He asked Aragorn how long it had been since the arrow hit her and cursed at the reply.  
  
He laid the back of his hand to her forhead and felt the heat radiating off her skin before he touched her. She closed her eyes and leaned into his cool hand and sighed. He removed his hand after a few seconds and said something to everyone else.  
  
She didn't care though. All she wanted was to get cool again and for her leg to stop throbbing. Ratchet buried her face into Boromirs neck and sighed again as her skin cooled down a few degrees.  
  
"The arrow that hit her was poisoned. We must hurry to Caras Galadhon if she is to live. She is already burning with fever." Haldir quickly explained to Aragorn. The Hobbits eyes widened at the elfs words.  
  
Ratchet might die??? Even Boromir was a little shooken up, because he could feel her hot skin and shallow breaths against his neck.  
  
The Fellowship followed the elves fast pace without complaint. They all wanted Ratchet to live. Sure, she was a little cold towards them at times. But everyone had their personality quirks.  
  
Haldir suddenly stopped and went over to Ratchet and shook her. "What are you doing?" Pippin cried out.  
  
"If we do not keep her awake, she might not ever wake up." he explained hurriedly. He barked at some elves in Elvish and they disappeared into the tree's. They returned a few minutes later with a crude stretcher made out of cloaks and treelimbs.  
  
Ratchet was awake and was gently set down on the stretcher. 'How are we going to keep her awake' Haldir thought to himself. But the halflings seemed to have read his mind and started talking to her. They set off again, the elves carrying the stretcher with the Hobbits walking next to it, keeping Ratchet awake.  
  
Whenever their voices didn't work, they pinched her. But they were tired and they couldn't keep it up.  
  
Legolas was the one who came up with the singing idea.  
  
"Ratchet, sing us a song. Please, for the Hobbits." he urged her.  
  
Ratchet rolled her eyes to look at Legolas. She licked her pale lips and dimly thought about a song. She sang the first one that came to mind.  
  
"So am I, still waiting  
  
For this world to stop hating  
  
Can't find a good reason  
  
Can't find hope to believe in  
  
Drop dead, a bullet to my head  
  
Your words are like a gun in hand  
  
You can't change the state of the nation  
  
We just need some motivation  
  
These eyes have seen no conviction  
  
Just lies and more contradiction  
  
So tell me, what would you say?  
  
I'd say it's time too late  
  
So am I, still waiting  
  
For this world to stop hating  
  
Can't find a good reason  
  
Can't find hope to believe in."  
  
The elves easily heard the words that the sick girl sang. They listened in interest at the lyrics that the girl sang. Then wondered if she had actually seen all that which she sang of.  
  
"Ignorance and understanding  
  
We're the first ones to jump in line  
  
Out of step for what we believe in  
  
But who's left to stop the bleeding  
  
How far will we take this  
  
It's not hard to see through the fakeness  
  
So tell me what would you say?  
  
I'd say it's time too late  
  
So am I, still waiting  
  
For this world to stop hating  
  
Can't find a good reason  
  
Can't find hope to believe in."  
  
Boromir listened with sorrow at her song. All her songs seemed to be tainted with pain and grief. Why was this? How could one so young have seen so much? It was mind boggling. He looked to Aragorn and saw that his thoughts were the same.  
  
"This can't last forever  
  
Time won't make things better  
  
I feel so alone  
  
Can't help myself  
  
And no one knows if this is worthless  
  
Tell me (tell me)  
  
What have we done  
  
With a war that can't be won  
  
This can't be real  
  
Cause I don't know what to feel  
  
So am I, still waiting  
  
For this world to stop hating  
  
Can't find a good reason  
  
Can't find hope to believe in  
  
So am I still waiting  
  
For this world to stop hating  
  
Can't find a good reason  
  
Can't find hope to believe in...."  
  
Ratchet's voice trailed off as she saw the beautiful elven homes, and even a few elves. She then gave a scream of pain as blood-red filled her vision. The last thing she saw was Boromir and Haldir yelling at her. But she couldn't hear them. Then screamed again as white-hot pain shot through her system and made her body convulse.  
  
Then she blacked out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Okey dokey! The first song is Soldiers Stardust from Gundam Wing. The second one is Still Waiting from Sum 41.  
  
CrystalMeth: Gotta love Gundam Wing and Sum 41! 


	9. They Meet After Death And Someone's Watc...

Faulkner: Here's the ninth chappie! I'd like ta thank all of my loyal reviewers!  
  
Pinky: You make master feel so happy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Boromir heard Ratchet's cry, he was immediatly at her side. So was the elf, Haldir. Ratchet's eyes were wide open and staring at something. Then she cried out again and started shuddering violently. Haldir yelled at his companions in elvish, and they took her away.  
  
"Where are you taking her!" Pippin screamed at Haldir.  
  
"She is being taken to the healers. There, she will be taken care of and recover from the poison and wound." he answered calmly enough.  
  
"Will she be alright?" Frodo asked.  
  
"We shall see. But now, the Lady wishes to see you." and he led them off.  
  
Boromir worried all through the meeting with the Lady Galadriel. He wasn't paying attention, so you can imagine his surprise when he heard a voice in his head.  
  
~And what of you, Boromir, son of Denethor?~ a ladies voice said. He was confused and slightly scared. Not only for himself, but also for Ratchet.  
  
~You love her, don't you?~ the voice said again. ~But you cannot have her. She would not willingly give herself to you, just yet.~  
  
Just yet? What did the voice mean by that?  
  
~She has lost faith in love. The girl who calls herself Ratchet has lost her way. She has lost her path in the darkness of grief. Be her light, and show her the way back. Then, maybe, she will let you have her. But not before.~  
  
Then the voice disappeared and Boromir was left to his thoughts.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
Ratchet was lost in a world of pain and faces. None of the faces she knew, and all of them had blond hair. She wanted to cry out, but couldn't. The seizures were taking up all of her breath. The faces were talking to her, saying something. But she couldn't hear over the roar in her ears.  
  
Then she slept. Her dreams and waking moments blending into a nightmare. She vaguely wondered about the Fellowship and if they were being looked after.  
  
It felt like ages to her. The pain eventually went away, but she couldn't wake up. She didn't want to wake up. Ratchet was afraid of what she would be greeted with. The nightmares had shown her things she hadn't noticed in the waking world. Things she wanted to deny, but couldn't.  
  
"Why are you crying Aerin?" a male voice said. A voice she thought she would never hear again.  
  
"Kokuyo?" she whispered, not daring to look up. Could it really be him? He had died.  
  
"Yeah. It's me." he said.  
  
Ratchet looked up and saw it was him. The same Kokuyo that had saved her from her loneliness, and delivered her into the hands of grief.  
  
But even so, she ran into his open arms and buried her face into his warm chest.  
  
"I missed you angel." he said as he held her close.  
  
"I missed you too." She was happy again. Ratchet was with Kokuyo and nothing could take her away from him this time.  
  
"You have to go back."  
  
"Why?! I want to stay here with you!" she cried at him.  
  
"I know angel. But what we had can never come back. We can't be together anymore. We lost that when I died." he whispered.  
  
"That's not fair." she whispered.  
  
"Life isn't fair. You know i'm a selfish guy. But now, i'm gonna do something for your good this time. I'm gonna let you go."  
  
"Go where? I have nothing to keep me staying in the living world." she said, even though she knew better.  
  
"That's a lie, and you know it." he said fiercely. "Don't do this, Aerin. You have to open up again. Like you did to me. He wants to help you, and love you. Open up, let him love you."  
  
"No. The pain will come back. At least like this, I won't get hurt."  
  
Kokuyo pulled her away at arms length and stared into her nearly black eyes. "You will get hurt, one way or another. But this way, you will have help. You can't stay locked up forever."  
  
She stared into Kokuyo's eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. His hard look told her all she needed to know.  
  
"I can't do this alone." she pleaded.  
  
"You won't. I'll be watching. Here." he put something in her hand.  
  
A black cat with emeralds for eyes was resting in the palm of her hand. It's outline was in silver, and on the back 'Kuroneko' was scratched on. Ratchet smiled.  
  
"Good ol' Kuroneko. Your good luck charm." Her eyes went wide at his meaning. "I can't have this. It's yours." and she tried to give it back.  
  
"No, it's yours now. I don't need it where I am. But you, on the other hand, need all the luck you can get. But if you lose it, i'm gonna kick your ass, Aerin Williams." He smiled again and hugged her. "Now go live." he whispered.  
  
"Live."  
  
Ratchet opened her eyes to a soft glow in a room where beds lined both walls. She looked around and saw that she was in one such bed. She sat up and looked into her hand.  
  
There was Kuroneko, staring up at her with his big emerald eyes.  
  
Ratchet put on the necklace and felt the cool metal on her skin. Then decided to look for the Fellowship. Her clothes were folded and clean next to her bed, along with her backpack. She took a quick look to make sure no one was watching, and hurriedly took off the nightgown and got into her clothes.  
  
Her leg was stiff from the tight bandages on her leg and from the wound. But she could walk fairly easily. That is, if tripping only three times down the stairs could be counted as easily.  
  
She grumbled to herself about the elves stupid idea of tree houses. Then stopped. Where was the Fellowship?  
  
'Great. Juuuuuust great. Stupid Fellowship. Stupid elves. Stupid orcs. Stupid arrows. Stupid-' but her train of thought was cut off by two bodies that had just barreled into her.  
  
"What the fuck?!" she cried out.  
  
"Ratchet!! You're all right." two voices cried out joyfully.  
  
"Merry?! Pippin!?" she asked. Two Hobbits looked down at her, smiling brightly. "Get off me you dimwits!"  
  
They hopped off her and looked worriedly at her.  
  
"S'all right. Just give me a warning before you do that!" she said as she got up. "Where are you guys staying? I haven't the faintest idea where the hell we are."  
  
"We'll show you! The other's will be so happy to see you!" Pippin said as Merry and him grabbed her hands and pulled her along. She laughed at the Hobbits enthusiasm.  
  
They walked past many tall trees and the elves that they saw stared at the strange trio. Merry and Pippin were telling her about Lorien and that they were so worried about her. Ratchet just smiled and listened to the happy Hobbits' ramblings.  
  
The two stopped at a small clearing where a little camp was set up. Only Sam, Frodo, and Boromir were there.  
  
"Hey Frodo, Sam! Look who we found!" Merry called. The two Hobbits and one human looked up and stared in disbelief.  
  
"Hey guys! How's it goin'?" Ratchet asked cheerily. Frodo and Sam jumped up and hugged her. "Uh...guys? Ratchet can't breath!" she choked out. They let go and stared up at her with the silliest grins on their faces. Ratchet looked over to Boromir and saw the hurt in his eyes. She wondered why he looked at her like that. Then remembered what she said in Moria.  
  
'Damn! Now I have to apologize. Especially after he helped me.' She mentally kicked herself for being such a bitch to him.  
  
She walked over to him and asked, "Boromir, may I speak to you in private?" She sure as hell wasn't going to say sorry with an audience.  
  
He nodded and they walked off. Ratchet waited until they had reached another clearing to stop and speak.  
  
"Listen, Boromir. I'm sorry for what I did after we got out of Moria." She got a sheepish look. "Especially since you carried me all the way here." She studied his face for a reaction.  
  
"There is no need to apologize, since the circumstances were very stressful at the time." he replied. The pain left his eyes. But something replaced the pain. Worry.... lust for something.... and sort of haunted.  
  
"Is everything all right with you Boromir?" she asked.  
  
He gave her a very fake laugh. "You were the one injured, and yet you are asking me how I am?"  
  
She stared into his eyes. Way deep into his eyes. "Tell me what's wrong." she said in a surprisingly gentle voice. Boromir tried to break away from her gaze, and just barely made it. He wandered over to a giant tree root and sat down. She followed and sat down next to him.  
  
"It's calling to me." he whispered. Ratchet immediatly knew what it was he was talking about. "The Ring keeps whispering to me, that if I take it, I could restore the glory of Gondor. That I would be able to destroy Sauron and make my father proud."  
  
"You have to fight it Boromir. That Ring will never do anything like that for you. Or for anyone. It will only listen to Sauron." she said fiercely.  
  
"I know. I keep telling the voice that I don't need it. But it is getting stronger." He was near tears, and when he looked into her eyes, she saw that he wanted to cry. "I'm afraid that I might try to take it from Frodo." That's when he did cry.  
  
Ratchet hugged him, and he clutched at her shirt. "It's ok Boromir, it's ok. I'll help make sure you don't take it. I'll help." she whispered to him.  
  
She whispered that she would help him and that he would not fall to the power of the ring. After he did calm down, he looked away from her.  
  
"I'm sorry you had to see that." he mumbled.  
  
"Hey, you're only human. I'm glad that there's some emotion in you warrior types." He looked over to her and gave her a small smile. Then his eyelids started to droop. He leaned back as if to sleep, but then shot back up.  
  
Ratchet gave him a wry smile. "I've been sleeping for at least a whole damn day. God knows how much sleep you've had. Go to sleep Boromir. I don't think anyone will mind us taking a small nap."  
  
He yawned. "I hope....not." he whispered as he leaned back into the tree and closed his eyes. He was a bit surprised when he felt a body next to him. He cracked open one eye and saw Ratchet staring up at him.  
  
She grinned. "Hope ya don't mind. I'm cold." Boromir grinned back at her and put an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"I don't know what words I can say  
  
The wind has a way to talk to me  
  
Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby  
  
I pray for reply  
  
I'm ready."  
  
Her voice really was wonderful. Boromir thought he could listen to it forever.  
  
"Quiet days calm me  
  
Oh, serenity  
  
Someone please tell me  
  
Ohmmm, what is it they say?  
  
Maybe I will know one day  
  
I don't know what words I can say  
  
The wind has a way to talk to me  
  
Flowers sleep, a silent lullaby  
  
I pray for reply  
  
I'm ready......"  
  
Two icy blue eyes watched as the human girl fell asleep on the shoulder of the human man. He glared at them for awhile. His eyes started to droop with sleepiness as well.  
  
He blinked and shook his head, as if to banish the sleep. He silently cursed himself for being weak to the girls lullaby. He glared all the more at them. Then stalked off back towards his post.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: The song in there is called Melfina's Song from Outlaw Star.  
  
CrystalMeth: Melfina's a weird chick. But she is hot! 


	10. He's Worried? And An answer To Question

Faulkner: Aw what the hell. Heres the disclaimer. I only own Ratchet/Aerin. I don't own the purty elves or the cute Hobbits. Nor the smelly dwarves and the old wizards. And unfortunately, neither do I own the very manly men!  
  
Pinky: And absolutely no ugly creatures (Me: *cough* orcsandSauron *cough*).  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ratchet was having a lovely time sleeping. Whatever she was in was extremely warm and comfy. It was wrapped around her and giving off a sense of safety. Every once in a while it moved slightly. But she didn't care, as long as she could sleep.  
  
Boromir loved the feel of the warm body that was on him. It gave him a good feeling somehow. He wrapped his arms around it and pulled it closer to him. It eagerly snuggled against him and made a sound that was akin to a sigh.  
  
The two were cuddled up against each other and were loving every minute of it. Even though they didn't exactly realize *who* it was they were sleeping against.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
The Hobbits were slightly worried about Boromir and Ratchet. The other members of the Fellowship had returned, but Boromir and Ratchet were still missing. Aragorn had a slight inkling to what the two humans were about. He asked the Hobbits which direction they went and followed.  
  
After 20 minutes of walking he started to doubt Pippin's instructions. The little trouble-maker must have mistaken which way they went. 'His mind was probably on food when I asked him and he just pointed in any random direction' Aragorn thought to himself with a sigh.  
  
Then he stumbled into a small clearing.  
  
All nice and cozy together on the forest floor were Boromir and Ratchet. Aragorn had to supress the laugh that came to him at the sight. Ratchet had her face buried in Boromir's neck and her arms were lightly resting on his chest. Boromir had his arms tightly wrapped around the girls waist and had one of his legs over both of hers.  
  
Boromir had a smug smile on his face, and Aragorn would bet his sword that Ratchet was smiling too. He ran back to the pavilion where the Fellowship was staying and made Legolas follow him to the clearing.  
  
"What is it my friend?" Legolas asked curiously.  
  
"I'm going to show you a very peculiar sight." Aragorn replied. When they were close he motioned to Legolas to be extra quiet.  
  
When the elf prince saw the two a smile slowly appeared on his face. He wacthed the two for a minute before starting on his way back.  
  
"That was a little unexpected." Legolas said.  
  
"I thought that something like this might happen." Aragorn commented.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Have you not noticed how his glance often strays towards her? And when we first got to Lorien how he volunteered to carry her?" Aragorn was grinning at Boromir's attraction to Ratchet.  
  
"Yes, I guess I have noticed." Legolas said thoughtfully. He thought back to Moria when he caught Boromir staring longingly at Ratchet when she had been resting with the Hobbits all cuddled up to her.  
  
"I do not think we should tell the others. Let them figure it out on their own." Aragorn whispered to Legolas as they walked back.  
  
"I agree."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Boromir woke up and was slightly startled to find himself hugging Ratchet. He was downright embarassed when he noticed that his leg was over hers. He quickly removed it and shifted slightly. Ratchet moved her head even closer to his neck (if that was even possible). He felt and heard her deep inhale and her slow exhale of warm breath.  
  
Boromir surpressed a shudder at the feel of her breath on his skin. 'Control yourself!' he mentally scolded. 'You are not some young lad obsessed with some girl.' He sighed and thought sarcasticly, 'You are a grown man lusting after a young woman.' Boromir frowned at himself and wondered how he let this happen.  
  
Ratchet started to move and rolled off Boromir, who was caught unawares. She then rolled up into a ball. Her hand started to twitch and she started to shiver. Boromir watched this strange behavior with some curiosity and concern. He wondered if he should wake her up.  
  
The thought just barely came into his mind when Ratchet woke up on her own. She suddenly opened her eyes and just stared at Boromir. He was sitting up and staring back at her. Ratchet smirked and said, "Have a nice nap?"  
  
Boromir blinked and slowly returned her smirk. "Yes." he replied.  
  
She sat up and stretched her arms. Then proceeded to crack her neck and back. Boromir just watched her with interest. Ratchet yawned and he noticed that she had unusually sharp teeth. He faintly wondered if that was normal.  
  
"I'm going to get something to eat. You coming?" Ratchet asked as she stood up. Boromir followed and answered.  
  
"Yes. I haven't eaten since breakfast, which was a little while ago."  
  
They walked through the trees in silence. Both humans minds were elsewhere. But Ratchet was brought back to Middle-Earth suddenly when Boromir started speaking.  
  
"Ratchet I..." he stopped and thought. Then tried again. "Are we friends?"  
  
"Yeah, we are."  
  
"Well, I hope we can be more than friends." Boromir had a whole flock of butterflies in his stomach as he started speaking. But he couldn't back down now. "I cannot deny that feelings have been growing in my heart for you. It all started when I first saw you the day I arrived in Rivendell. You were so full of energy and you showed it. I didn't know it then, but that was the first moment that I started to love you. As the days wore on, I became more aware of my feelings towards you. I started to get jealous of the Hobbits. They were always close to you. As close as I wanted to be. What i'm trying to say, is that I hope that my love might be returned, and not cast aside like a broken sword."  
  
Ratchet stopped walking and stared at him. 'This must be who Kokuyo was talking about. I.... I don't know what to do....'  
  
Boromir's eyes were pleading for her to answer. He was holding his breath, thinking that she was trying to find a way to let him down easily. Ratchet opened her mouth to answer, but the sound of voices stopped her.  
  
"Ratchet! Ratchet, where did you go?" Merry, Frodo, Pippin, and Sam appeared and ran up to her. "C'mon Ratchet! You're gonna miss supper!" Pippin pulled on her sleeve and they started towards camp at a run, leaving Boromir in a daze.  
  
Ratchet was pulled along and she quickly forgot about Boromir as her stomach started complaining. Then she started to race the Hobbits to camp, and of course, won.  
  
All of the members of the Fellowship were assembled, including Boromir who appeared a few minutes after Ratchet and the Hobbits. They all sat at a table that had been set up and started to fill their plates with food. All of smelled good and tasted even better.  
  
Once everyone was finished, the table was cleared and removed. Pippin immediatly went to Ratchet and made her remember something she promised.  
  
"Ratchet?"  
  
"Yeah Pip?"  
  
"You said you would finish that song for me when you had time. Isn't now a good time?" he reasoned.  
  
Ratchet looked at him, then snorted. "You Hobbits never miss a beat,do ya?"  
  
"Miss a beat?" Pippin asked. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Never mind." Ratchet shook her head. "I think i'll start the song from the beginning. Partly because I don't remember where we left off and partly because it sounds funny if you just jump right in. Now let's get comfortable cause the song is a little lengthy."  
  
The Hobbits found comfortable spots on tree roots or the ground. The rest of the Fellowship decided that they wanted to listen in, so found good sitting spots. Ratchet cleared her throat and began to sing.  
  
"Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
On nights when I can't settle down no matter what,  
  
I just want to throw anything and everything away.  
  
Don't bitch and complain, just open the door, ya know.  
  
I don't have time to quibble with you.  
  
I want to fly all over the place.  
  
I wanna throw caution to the wind.  
  
It isn't because i've lost anything.  
  
It's because nothings even started yet."  
  
The whole of Lorien seemed to quiet and listen to Ratchet sing. One person in particular drifted over to where the Fellowship was and listened intently with piercing blue eyes. He made sure not to make any noise as he watched and listened.  
  
"Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
What do you want? What do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?  
  
Cut through the darkness and run to grab what you want through the night.  
  
Sometimes i'll let my guard down to your kindness,  
  
But sometimes I worry.  
  
I've been doing whatever I want as much as I wanted to,  
  
But to tell the truth, to be with you is the best.  
  
Believing, I want us to believe in each other.  
  
I want it to be as plain as black and white.  
  
Because it's not just intensity  
  
Because it's not just gentleness...."  
  
The whole Fellowship watched as Ratchet relaxed. She seemed to be letting her own guard down. She even let herself smile a little.  
  
"Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
Who do I wanna hold? I should know.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
I can't protect even those unless I get moving.  
  
Even if I get hurt, or I hurt someone, or I have to take the long way,  
  
With my heart as it is, tumbling as I am, i'll pierce through the night  
  
Don't make fun of it! Don't destroy it! Don't cheapen it!  
  
That one thing everyone has that they won't give up.  
  
Only love! Only dreams! Only you!  
  
Those are the only things I won't let go, ever.  
  
Holding each other, getting hurt, the loss.....  
  
Everyone hurts the one they hold most dear.  
  
Anyway, I just can't understand  
  
Being shackled with a promise.... I can't put my finger on it....  
  
What do you want? What do you wanna do? Where do you wanna go?  
  
Cut through the dark and run to grab what you want through the night."  
  
Ratchet looked at the members of the Fellowship and grinned. "I was that bad?" she teased.  
  
"No. You were wonderful." Legolas whispered.  
  
"Whew. That's a relief. I thought I stunk up the whole of Lothlorien. That would be kinda embarassing."  
  
Everyone laughed and chatted. They didn't notice Haldir approach until Aragorn stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned to the captain of the Galadhrim. Aragorn greeted him and asked what he wished of the Fellowship.  
  
"I would like to speak with you and the prince." he said. "In private."  
  
Legolas looked at Aragorn then stood up and followed the elf with Aragorn not far behind. They walked far out of sight or hearing and stopped under a giant mallorn tree. Haldir looked around to see if anyone was near before talking again.  
  
(AN: Anything between are in elvish. I might revise it one day so the elvish words are actually IN the chapter. Enjoy!)  
  
You know about the relationship that the Stewards son is starting with the girl? Haldir accused.  
  
Yes. We know Aragorn replied.  
  
He is being tempted. I can see it and feel it. If the relationship developes any further she will become attached to him. Then what will happen if he tries to take it? Haldir blue eyes were flashing. What is left of her spirit and resolve will disapear.  
  
We know that also. Legolas replied quietly.  
  
Then how can you two let it go on? You are taking a big risk.  
  
The reward is greater than the risk. We have a glimpse of what has happened in her life. She should not have been treated like that. He is giving her what she never had. Boromir never meant to be tempted by it. He will fight it all the harder because of her. Aragorn explained.  
  
Are you so sure?  
  
Why do you care? Legolas asked. Then he grinned in understanding. I think the captain has a crush!  
  
What?! Haldir exclaimed. NO! You silly prince, that is not why I care!  
  
Aragorn also grinned. Oh really? Then what is the real reason? Haldir blushed and explained as calmly as he could without throttling the future king's.  
  
I looked in her eyes when she was wounded by the arrow. She was vulnerable and accidently let me see her true soul. I saw many things that I did not like. One of them i'm not sure if I should tell you about or wait until she does.  
  
Legolas and Aragorn processed this new information.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------  
  
"What do you think they're talking about?" Merry asked.  
  
"Who know's, who cares." Ratchet shrugged. "Probably plans for when we leave or some boring stuff like that."  
  
The Hobbits talked about what the two elvesand one man might be talking about. Then talked about funny times in the Shire, where they lived. Then Ratchet had another request.  
  
"Ratchet? Could you sing us another song Please?" Frodo asked.  
  
"What is it with you Hobbits andd my singing, eh? You guys are gonna make me go hoarse."  
  
"Please Miss Ratchet." Sam got in on it.  
  
"Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" Merry and Pippin begged in unison.  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud! Fine! But if I lose my voice you guys are gonna pay dearly!"  
  
The Hobbits cheered and waited. Gimli grumbled something and Boromir just stared at Ratchet with distant eyes.  
  
"Desperate for changing  
  
Starving for truth  
  
I'm closer to where I started  
  
I'm chasing after you  
  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
  
Letting go of all i've held on to  
  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you."  
  
Nobody noticed as a disgruntled Haldir and a thougtful Legolas and Aragorn came back.  
  
"Forgetting all i'm lacking  
  
Completely incomplete  
  
I'll take your invitation  
  
If you take all of me."  
  
Something else that escaped everyones attention was the way that Ratchet stared Boromir in the eyes.  
  
"I'm falling even more in love with you  
  
Letting go of all i've held on to  
  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
  
Just hanging by a moment here with you  
  
There's nothing else to lose  
  
There's nothing else to find  
  
There's nothing in the world  
  
That can change my mind  
  
There is nothing else  
  
There is nothing else."  
  
Boromir wondered what she was trying to say. Ratchet was staring at him intensely and he couldn't figure out what she was trying to tell him.  
  
"Desperate for changing  
  
Starving for truth  
  
I'm closer to where I started  
  
I'm chasing after you  
  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
  
Letting go of all i've held on to  
  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
  
And I don't know what i'm diving into  
  
Just hanging by a moment here with you.  
  
Just hanging by a moment  
  
Hanging by a moment  
  
Hanging by a moment  
  
Hanging by a moment here with you."  
  
The Hobbits clapped and started talking with Ratchet, who was still staring at Boromir. Boromir just stared blankly back. He still didn't get it.  
  
Then it hit him.  
  
He had just gotten his answer.  
  
Boromir smiled in pure joy for the first time in months.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: I know I know. It was sappy. So help me God, it was sappy!  
  
Pinky: That was Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse.  
  
CrystalMeth: ::dagger being held at his throat:: Please R/R. 


	11. More Sappyness And A Breakdown

Faulkner: Thanks all y'all peeps who reviewed! On with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ratchet saw Boromir's joyful smile and took that he had finally gotten the message. 'Took him long enough' she thought. 'Sometimes men can be so thick, it surprises even me.'  
  
Aragorn and Legolas also noticed Boromir's smile. They grinned at each other, then grinned at Haldir.  
  
"She must have accepted his love." Legolas whispered to Haldir.  
  
"We shall see if that is a good or bad thing." Then the captain stalked off, muttering in elvish.  
  
"Poor chap needs a girlfriend very badly." a voice said from behind them. Aragorn and Legolas jumped. They turned around to see a smirking Ratchet. "Ain'tcha supposed to be an elf Legolas? That'll be somethin' to tell. I snuck up on an elf prince and a king of Gondor."  
  
"I thought you were talking to the Hobbit's." Legolas said.  
  
"I *was* talking to the Hobbits." Ratchet replied. "Now what's wrong with him?" She jerked her head in the direction that Haldir had disappeared.  
  
"A slight disagreement." Aragorn replied shortly.  
  
"Bout what?" Ratchet asked.  
  
"That is none of your business." Legolas told her.  
  
"C'mon! Please tell me! Please?" Ratchet begged.  
  
"No." Aragorn stated firmly.  
  
"Well, you guys are no fun. Least the Hobbits have a sense of humor. I think you two are getting as stuffy as Haldir over there."  
  
"Stuffy?" The elf prince faked indignance. "I am an heir to the throne of Mirkwood Forest! Do you realize you have insulted royalty?"  
  
"Yeah. A royal pain in the ass." she laughed.  
  
Legolas growled (how very un-elf like) and chased after Ratchet. Ratchet cackled evilly and ran off towards Boromir.  
  
"Boromir! Help! An evil elf is chasing me! Heeeeeelp!" She hid behind the human as he stood.  
  
"Fear not. I will protect you my lady." Boromir said.  
  
"Argh. Get out of the way human!" Legolas demanded. "This is between me and the wretch!"  
  
"You will have to kill me first!" Boromir cried out as he pulled out his sword.  
  
The Hobbits were rolling on the floor, laughing. Frodo was trying to say something, but he just couldn't get it out through his laughter. Pippin and Merry were pointing at them while they were wiping away tears with their other hands. Sam clutched at his burning sides.  
  
Boromir and Legolas had a mock battle with their sword and knives until Legolas was lying on his back, 'dead'.  
  
"Ah! Fret not fair maiden! The evil elf is slain!" Boromir said as he knelt before Ratchet.  
  
"Thank you my lord! I would be dead if it wasn't for you!" Ratchet was trying hard to not burst out laughing like the Hobbits.  
  
"But you have not defeated me!" Aragorn cried as he scooped Ratchet up and ran away.  
  
"No!" and Boromir chased after Aragorn.  
  
"Oh no! Now I shall die a horrible, terrible, painful, death! Or be forced to marry Aragorn! Either way is torture!" Ratchet yelled.  
  
Aragorn stopped in his tracks and stared at Ratchet. "Am I that bad?" he asked her.  
  
"Well yeah! After all, you *have* kidnapped me!" and she rolled her eyes.  
  
Aragorn kept on staring, then blinked. "Oh. Right."  
  
That set Ratchet off. She laughed and laughed until her sides hurt and she was gasping for breath. Aragorn had left her laughing on the forest floor, shaking his head and muttering. Boromir watched her and grinned.  
  
When she finally calmed down and was getting breath into her lungs was when he spoke.  
  
"Feel better?"  
  
"Lots."  
  
They waited in the silence that followed her answer. Then Boromir asked a question that he had to know the answer to.  
  
"Did you really mean what you said? Or rather, sung?" He was starting to fidget.  
  
Ratchet stared at him calmly. "Yes. I meant it." she replied.  
  
Boromir let out a cry of joy and picked Ratchet up off the ground and twirled her around. He started laughing like a fool and he didn't really care. But what happened next surprised even himself.  
  
He pulled Ratchet close and kissed her. Ratchet froze like a deer in headlights and closed her eyes tightly. But then she gradually relaxed and leaned into the kiss. His hands travelled down her back and rested on her waist.  
  
Boromir realized what he was doing and pulled away. He stared at Ratchet with wide eyes and he took a couple steps back.  
  
"I- I'm s-sorry R-Ratchet. I don't know what came over me." he whispered. "I didn't mean to. I don't have the right to do that."  
  
Ratchet stared at him. They seemed to be doing that alot lately. She then smirked.  
  
"Wanna hear something interesting Boromir? It's been years since i've been kissed like that. And only one guy ever had the guts to try it. And after all these years, I think I still like it."  
  
Her eyes started to glisten with unshed tears. Boromir walked over to her quickly and lifted a hand, unsure of what to do.  
  
Ratchet looked at the ground as the tears fell and she didn't know how to stop them. A hand cupped her cheek and lifted her face up. Boromir looked into her eyes and then pulled her into a hug. Ratchet had a total breakdown and grasped his tunic as she cried.  
  
All her pain, fear, and grief had been held in, bottled up inside.  
  
Now, she just let it leave with the tears. Boromir rested his head on her head and rubbed her back. He was never really good at these kind of things.  
  
Ratchet stopped crying and stood there for a second, breathing deeply to calm herself. Then she collapsed onto Boromir as her knees gave out. He held her more tightly to keep her from falling. Then picked her up and brought her back to the place where the Fellowship was staying. It was mercifully empty and quiet.  
  
He sat down on his little pallet where he slept and held Ratchet tightly, afraid to let go. Ratchet curled into a ball on his lap and buried her head in his neck. She deeply inhaled his scent and allowed herself to relax. She was safe, Boromir was safe, nothing bad was going to happen to them.  
  
That's when Boromir did a very unexpected thing. He began to sing.  
  
"When you feel all alone  
  
And the world has turned its back on you  
  
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart  
  
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
  
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold  
  
When darkenss is upon your door and you feel like you can't take it anymore  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can mend a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone  
  
When you feel all alone  
  
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
  
You're caught in a one-way street  
  
With the monsters in your head  
  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
  
You feel like you can't face the day  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can mend a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone  
  
'Cause there has always been heartache and pain  
  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
  
You'll breathe again  
  
When you feel all alone  
  
And the world has turned its back on you  
  
Give me a moment please  
  
To tame your wild wild heart  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can mend a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can mend a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can mend a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone  
  
Let me be the one you call  
  
If you jump i'll break your fall  
  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night  
  
If you need to fall apart  
  
I can men a broken heart  
  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
  
You're not alone......"  
  
Boromir let the last note fade away as he checked up on Ratchet. He could feel her warm breath on his neck. Her body seemed to fit his perfectly as they sat there.  
  
The son of the Steward stiffled a yawn as he carefully lay down. Ratchet only moved once, and that was to lay down next to him and lay one arm across his waist and the other on his shoulder. Boromir grabbed his cloak and covered them both up.  
  
He gently kissed her forehead and fell into a deep sleep full of happy dreams of Ratchet.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: Oh my good Lord in heaven. Yet another sappy chappie! Get it? Sappy chappie?  
  
CrystalMeth: -___-U Save me!  
  
Pinky: The song was Crash And Burn by Savage Garden.  
  
Faulkner: You don't get it? Sappy chappie! ^__^U Oh, I give up on myself. 


	12. Invasions Of The Mind

Faulkner: There is a God! I don't have art anymore with the bitchy witch!! But on the down side my Science teacher is back from maternity leave. She had a girl. I pity the little tyke that has her as a mum.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ratchet slowly woke up next to Boromir. His arms were around her waist and one of his legs was laying possesively across hers. His cloak covered them and she was as comfortable as if she was sleeping on a bed and not the ground. Ratchet thought that that was probably because she was sleeping with Boromir.  
  
'Holy cow! That came out so totally wrong!' she thought to herself. 'But.... I kinda like it. I could definitely get used to this.'  
  
Ratchet sighed in contentment and looked up into Boromir's face. 'He looks so peaceful when he's asleep' she thought. He had a little smile on his face and was relaxed. For the first time Ratchet had ever seen him, he was relaxed.  
  
She wanted to stay in his warm embrace, but she could smell food, and was starving. Ratchet carefully slipped away from him and straightend out her clothes and hair. Then followed her nose to the food as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  
  
The Fellowship had long ago learned that Ratchet was not a morning person, so they refrained from teasing her. They watched her sit down and pile food onto her plate. Then scarf it down and drink two cups of juice. She then walked back to Boromir's pallet and didn't return.  
  
Ratchet went back to Boromir and watched him sleep for a few seconds. She smiled at him and then climbed back under his cloak. Boromir automatically grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. Ratchet gladly snuggled up against him and fell back to sleep.  
  
When Boromir woke up about an hour after Ratchet had, he had absolutely no desire to get up. He just stared fondly at Ratchet and wondered how he had gotten so lucky. He brushed away some hair that was obscuring his view of her face. Then kissed her gently on the lips.  
  
She moved at his touch, just a slight twitching of her hand.  
  
He watched for a while longer before looking around. 'Lothlorien really is beautiful. But the Lady scares me' he thought to himself. 'How can she see into my mind?'  
  
He was drawn from his thoughts by Ratchet stirring. She moved in his arms and started to whimper. Boromir frowned and watched her. She curled up into a ball and held her head. Then started to muttering.  
  
"No....you'll never get it. I won't let you....uhhhh." she groaned and clutched her stomach. "Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shuddup shuddup shuddup shuddup SHUT UP!!" she yelled. Then as if woken up by her own scream, opened her eyes and gasped.  
  
"Ratchet?" Boromir asked fearfully.  
  
Ratchet just lay, remembering what Sauron had said.  
  
~*Ratchet's Nightmare*~  
  
Ratchet felt the searing heat as Sauron laughed at her in her brain.  
  
~You really thought you could hide from me?~  
  
Ratchet didn't answer, only stared at the castle that she was hovering over. The castle was really creepy and scary, yet awesome at the same time.  
  
~Foolish girl! You cannot hide yourself from me! Nor can you hide my Ring. Tell me where it is.~ the voice growled.  
  
"No..." the heat was getting steadily worse. "You'll never get it. I won't let you." It felt as if something punched her in the gut. She involuntarily groaned.  
  
Sauron laughed and started repeating a phrase.  
  
~Ash nazg durbatuluk. Ash nazg gimbatul, Ash nazg thrakatuluk agh burzum- ishi krimpatul.~  
  
Over and over he said the inscription on the Ring in the Black Speech. Ratchet started to yell at him to shut up, but he wouldn't.  
  
"SHUT UP!!"  
  
~*End Ratchet's Nightmare*~  
  
She could still feel the heat of The Eye's stare on her. She shivered and felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked up and saw Boromir's worried face.  
  
"What did you dream of?" he asked softly.  
  
Ratchet stared at him for a few seconds before answering. "Something that I would rather not talk about."  
  
Boromir nodded and let a hand stroke her cheek. Ratchet closed her eyes and leaned into his gentle and loving touch. Boromir allowed himself a small smile. The girl really had captured his heart.  
  
Ratchet caught his hand and kissed it. She gave him a smirk and got into a sitting position. After all the sleep that she had gotten, she felt restless.  
  
"I don't know about you, but i'm gonna look around." Ratchet told him. She stretched and looked around for her backpack. Once she found it, she searched for a clean pair of pants and shirt. "After I change. Do you mind turning around?"  
  
Boromir blushed and turned his back on her. He heard the rustle of clothing as she changed.  
  
Ratchet lead them out and started out in a random direction. They marveled at the beauty of Lorien and talked about many things. One of them being what Boromir would show her when they reached the White City. He said she would love it there.  
  
But their alone time was interrupted by Haldir. He walked up to them and said that the Lady wanted to speak to her. *Alone*. Ratchet wondered at how an elf could be so rude. Wonders would never cease.  
  
Haldir and Ratchet walked along in silence to the place that Galadriel would meet them. At least, they were quiet for a little while.  
  
"Hey Haldir. What got you so mad when you were talking with Aragorn and Legolas?"  
  
Haldir stole a glance at her. "I do not think that is any of your buisness." he answered.  
  
"Oh, c'mon! Tell me, please! Don't be such a jerk!" Ratchet begged.  
  
Haldir did not relent. "No. I will not tell you."  
  
Ratchet sighed. She hated it when her curiosity got the better of her. 'Curiosity killed the cat' she thought. 'Wait. I don't have a cat.' While Ratchet pondered this, Haldir watched her intently from the corner of his sight. The only sign of her thinking was her slightly furrowed brows.  
  
'She is like me, in a way' Haldir thought to himself. 'She hides her emotions at times. And yet, she finds other ways to let her feelings show.'  
  
Ratchet bumped into Haldir's back as he abruptly came to a stop. She took a step back and looked around him. They had stopped at the top of some stairs that went into a little glade. In the middle there was a stand with a basin on it filled with water. The sound of a small waterfall of to the side was the only sound.  
  
Ratchet looked around and felt her stomach twist into knots. There was an eery feeling in the air, and she was reluctant to go down the steps.  
  
"Go. It is rude to keep the Lady waiting." Haldir whispered from her side.  
  
Ratchet looked up at him with the slightest traces of fear. She had felt something like this when The Eye had spoken to her.  
  
Haldir gave her a small push and she couldn't help but go down the steps and into the glade. Ratchet looked up and saw Haldir flash her a slight smile of encouragement. Then he disappeared into the trees. Ratchet turned around as she felt a slight tingle go up her spine.  
  
There, standing barefoot, was a beyond beautiful elf with a shimmering white dress. Her blond hair was wavy and some of it in braids.  
  
"Do not be afraid of me little one." the lady said.  
  
"I...I'm not afraid." Ratchet gathered her courage and stood rather arrogantly. She was not going to be intimidated by some elf queen, by George!  
  
"Why are you here, little one? The quest does not concern you, from a different time and place." Galadriel walked over and stood next to the basin. "So, why are you here?"  
  
Ratchet's temper was starting to rise. She realized that the Lady had called her little one *twice*! She was *not* little!  
  
"Maybe not in spirit, but in self worth." the Lady said.  
  
"Huh?" Ratchet said. "Wh- what do you mean? How did you get into my head?" Memories of her little talks with Sauron flashed through her mind.  
  
Galadriel ignored her question, and asked one of her own. "Do you wish to look into the mirror?"  
  
Ratchet was about to ask 'What mirror' when her eyes fell on the basin. That must have been what Galadriel was talking about.  
  
"What will I see?" Ratchet asked cautiously.  
  
"The mirror shows many things. The past, the present, and even a possible course of the future."  
  
Ratchet looked at the basin again. She thought carefully about the pro's and the con's. It was a pretty much even scale, when she weighed them. But then she thought of how much Galadriel reminded her of Sauron. That convinced her that the mirror was no good.  
  
"No. I don't want to." Ratchet replied.  
  
"Why do you think of me as The Eye?" Galadriel asked.  
  
Ratchet started at this. She wanted Galadriel to stay out of her head. She put up mental walls, just like she had always done with her emotions. The Lady started to chuckle and Ratchet felt like she was losing her temper.  
  
"You cannot hide your mind from me. I know that He has spoken to you, felt your strength. He has tempted you, and you refused. I must commend you on that. But..." Galadriel walked forward and stopped two feet away from Ratchet. "But you have brought his gaze on the Golden Wood. You were not meant to be here on Middle-Earth."  
  
"Yah think." Ratchet muttered.  
  
"The only question is: What affect will your appearance have on the events that will play out? Will your presence destroy the Quest, and bring all to ruin?" Galadriel brought Ratchet's chin up so she could look her in the eye.  
  
"What do you want me to do? Stand around and watch everything get shot to hell? I won't let him face it alone. I refuse to." Ratchet whispered menacingly.  
  
Galadriel's lips twitched, as if trying to smile.  
  
"Be careful of the decisions you make, Aerin. You can destroy the future of Middle-Earth. Or you can save it." With that, Galadriel silently left the glade.  
  
Ratchet stared after her, and thought about what the Lady had said. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Haldir walk up to her and stand right in front of her.  
  
"Lady Ratchet?" Haldir called softly, even though he was right in front of her.  
  
Ratchet either ignored him or didn't notice him. Haldir gently touched her shoulder, and she started. Her eyes came back into focus and she jumped back.  
  
"Jesus Haldir! Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ratchet scolded. "Are ya tryin to send me to my grave?"  
  
"Come. I will take you back to the Fellowship." Haldir restrained himself from making a sarcastic remark.  
  
Ratchet nodded absently and followed him. Haldir watched Ratchet thoughtfully as he remembered the conversation between her and the Lady. He had been aware that Ratchet had seen something awful. But he hadn't thought that it was the Dark Lord himself that she had seen.  
  
"Lady Ratchet?"  
  
"Drop the Lady crap Haldir. Or else i'll come up with an embarassing nickname to call you." Ratchet threatened.  
  
"Was what the Lady said true?" he asked.  
  
Ratchet stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly looked up and stared at the Lorien guard. Then she gave him a look of disgust.  
  
"I hate you guys." Haldir was about to speak, but she continued. "It's no fair that only elves get super-hearing. Why can't I have super-hearing? Do you have any idea how handy that would be?" she asked.  
  
Haldir just stared at her for a minute or two. Then a smile slowly appeared on his fair features.  
  
"You look good when ya smile Haldir. You should do that more often." Ratchet pointed out, then sighed. "Yes, what she said was true."  
  
The Captain nodded and gave Ratchet a look of pity.  
  
"Don't do that." she whispered.  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Don't pity me. I don't deserve it, or need it. So don't waste it on me."  
  
He stared at her for a while, then continued toward the pavilion where the Fellowship was staying. He thought about the conversation between the two again, and reached a conclusion. That all though Ratchet had a strong will, her spirit would be broken in an instant. So he promised that he would do his best to protect her. For she was not unlike himself, in more ways than one.  
  
He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard a voice softly singing.  
  
"When I see her eyes  
  
Look into my eyes  
  
Then I realize that  
  
She could see inside my head  
  
So I close my eyes  
  
Thinking that I could hide  
  
Disassociate so I don't have to lose my head  
  
This situation leads to agitation  
  
Will she cut me off?  
  
Will this be amputation?  
  
I don't know if I care  
  
I'm the jerk  
  
Life's not fair  
  
Fighting all the time  
  
This is out of line  
  
She loves me not (loves me not)  
  
Do you realize I won't compromise  
  
She loves me not (loves me not)  
  
Over the past five years  
  
I have shed my tears  
  
I have drank my beers and watched my fears fly away  
  
And until this day  
  
She still swings my way  
  
But it's sad to say sometimes  
  
She says she loves me not  
  
But I hesitate  
  
To tell her I hate  
  
This relationship  
  
I want out today  
  
This is over."  
  
This was the fourth song that Haldir had heard Ratchet sing, and yet he was still amazed at the strange lyrics and tune.  
  
"I don't know if I care  
  
I'm the jerk  
  
Life's not fair  
  
Fighting all the time  
  
This is out of line  
  
She loves me not (loves me not)  
  
Do you realize I won't compromise  
  
She loves me not (life's not fair, i'm a jerk)."  
  
Then she started rapping, and startled Haldir again.  
  
"Line for line  
  
Rhyme for rhyme  
  
Sometimes we be fightin' all the goddamn time  
  
It's makin' me sick  
  
Relationship is getting ill  
  
Piss drunk stupid  
  
Mad  
  
On the real  
  
Could you feel  
  
What's the deal girl  
  
We're tearing up each others world  
  
We should be in harmony  
  
Boy and girl  
  
That is the promise we made  
  
Back in the day  
  
We told each other things wouldn't be this way  
  
I think we should work this out  
  
It's all right baby we can scream and shout."  
  
She was about to start back on the chorus when she got a bad feeling in her leg. Namely, the one that got shot.  
  
"Uh, Haldir?" she called.  
  
Haldir turned around and looked at her  
  
"I think i'm gonna-" and then her leg gave out and she fell. But Ratchet never hit the forest floor. "-fall. Nice catch Haldir. You'd make a nice outfielder." she said patting his arm. "Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome." Haldir said. "I shall have to carry you the rest of the way." he said with a sigh. He picked her up and then started walking. "What is an outfielder?" he asked.  
  
Ratchet laughed and tried to explain baseball to him on the way. He was very confused on why people would find fun in it at all. After many tries of trying to tell him why, she just settler on, 'it's one of those things you have to do to understand why.'  
  
Haldir just nodded sagely and kept on moving. He was about to ask her another question when he felt something on his shoulder. He looked down and saw that Ratchet had fallen asleep.  
  
When he reached the pavilion he set her down on the pallet that her backpack was next to and tucked her in. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and then kissed her forehead.  
  
"Good-night Aier." he whispered.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Aier = little one  
  
Faulkner: That song that she was singing was She Loves Me Not by Papa Roach. Kickass song!!  
  
Pinky: The sequel to Lost Cause is up!! Please review!! 


	13. For Hope

Faulkner: So sorry it's taking me so long to update! Been getting sick, and I also have to clean the house! And no pay for it either!  
  
CrystalMeth: Life sucks  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ratchet had been severely scolded by the whole Fellowship for using her still healing leg too much. She had tried to protest, but to no avail. Her punishment was amusing the Hobbits when they got in trouble with the Lothlorien elves and were sent back to the pavilion.  
  
Her other free time was spent getting to know Legolas, Boromir, and Haldir. Haldir was usually the one to save her from the Hobbits when they became too much for even her. He would show her around the forest and even took her out on patrol with his group and himself a few times.  
  
Boromir would spar with her to make sure she didn't get rusty and got his butt kicked every single time. Sometimes they teamed up and taught the Hobbits how to fight. That usually ended up with bruises on their shins and leaves in their hair. When they weren't doing that, they would talk about their different homes or do some more, ahem, *intimate* activities.  
  
Legolas would talk of Mirkwood and his friends with Ratchet and try to teach her archery. Haldir would occasionally help in these lessons, and even let her use his bow once. Ratchet turned out to be a fairly good archer, but no better.  
  
And even with all of this filling up her days, she somehow found a way to practice her martial arts. She was definitely not gonna let *those* skills disappear. She occasionally even tried to give the members of the Fellowship and Haldir lessons in martial arts. But they were all too old to really get it. Martial arts was better taught when one was young.  
  
The elves watched the human girl who called herself Ratchet in amusement. They thought at times that she might be half-elven like Lord Elrond by the way she could be graceful and radiate beauty like the elves at times, and yet still have that human mortality.  
  
But all these things went by too fast for the Fellowship. All too soon it was time to leave the safety of the Golden Wood. They packed their now clean clothes, food, and other things that they would need in the boats provided by the elves and got ready to leave.  
  
After everything was packed and ready to go they stood in a line and watched as elven cloaks were put on them. The cloaks, as the Lorien elves said, would hide them from unfriendly eyes. Then they had a big lunch with the Lord and Lady. All through it Ratchet flinched whenever Galadriel looked at her. She knew that Galadriel was one of the good guys, but that still didn't make the similarities between her and Sauron disappear.  
  
After the lunch, Galadriel gave them all gifts.  
  
To Aragorn, a beautiful scabbard for Narsil. To Gimli, three hairs off of Galadriel's head. To Merry and Pippin, identical elvish knives. To Legolas, a bow of the Galadhrim. To Sam, a box full of dirt from Galadriel's own garden. To Boromir, a golden belt. To Frodo, the light of Earendil, their most beloved star. And finally to Ratchet.....  
  
"I have thought long and hard on what to give you, and have come up with this." Galadriel pulled out of a pocket in her dress a pendant on a silver necklace. The pendant was a sun made out of gold. Galadriel stepped forward and put it on Ratchet and whispered in her ear, "For Hope."  
  
Ratchet looked up at Galadriel and wondered what the elf knew. She reached up and started fingering the pendant. It felt warm, like the sun, and was smooth under her fingers, except for something on the back. Ratchet flipped it over and saw some unfamiliar curly writing.  
  
She didn't have long to think about it, because then they were caught up in their farewell to the Lorien elves. Suddenly Haldir was in front of her and staring into her nearly black eyes. He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.  
  
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Be safe, mellonamin."  
  
Ratchet smiled up at him. "Don't worry Haldir. I'll be fine. I have the whole Fellowship to look after me."  
  
Haldir gave her one of his rare smiles. "I know. Boromir especially." and then he disappeared into the forest.  
  
Just as Haldir disappeared, Boromir appeared and told her it was time to go. When they reached the boats, Gimli was arguing with Aragorn about the seating arrangements. Ratchet rolled her eyes, and went over to Legolas.  
  
"What's his problem?" she asked the elf.  
  
"He is complaining about having to sit with me. I think I should be the one complaining though." Legolas snorted and rolled his eyes at the dwarf. Ratchet suppressed a chuckle and zoned out. That is, until her mind came to the pendant. She started fingering it and wondering what the weird writing on the back said.  
  
"Hey Legolas?" she called.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What does this say?" She showed him the writing on the back of the pendant, and he studied it before answering.  
  
"It is in an older form of Elvish. It says 'estel.'" He looked up at her curiously.  
  
"What? What does that mean?" she asked, a little bit of panic rising.  
  
"'Estel' means 'hope'." he answered, still looking at her curiously.  
  
Ratchet then thought back to what Galadriel said. "For Hope." Ratchet murmured.  
  
"What? I didn't catch that." Legolas said.  
  
"Nothing." Ratchet said quickly and walked over to stand next to Boromir, who wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the back of her head.  
  
Aragorn finally ended the argument and they all got their seating arrangements. Aragorn, Frodo, and Sam were in the first boat. Legolas, Gimli, and Merry were in the second while Boromir, Ratchet, and Pippin were in the third boat.  
  
They set off, with Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas being the ones to row. Occasionally they would let someone else in their boat row for a little bit. But this was very rare.  
  
The boat ride was very dull, everyone was getting cramped from sitting so long. They would only go on the river shore to get some sleep, and even then, they didn't stay long. Ratchet ended up teaching Pippin how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors and how to have thumb wars. Eventually she ended up calling to the other Hobbits on the other boats on how to play these games too. But it only lasted so long.  
  
Most of the time Ratchet would lean back onto Boromir's strong chest and fall into a light sleep.  
  
One day as they were moving along, Ratchet heard Aragorn start talking to Frodo.  
  
"Frodo, look." Frodo looked up to see two huge statues, one situated on each side of the river. "The Argonath. Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old." Then he whispered, "My kin."  
  
Both statues held out a hand, palm forward in warning. They were gigantic, and made them all feel very small. But the boat ride continued, and soon the giant statues were put behind them. They could all faintly hear the roaring falls ahead of them.  
  
The falls came into sight and the three boats were steered to the shore. Everyone started getting off as soon as they touched the shore. Merry went off to find firewood as Sam prepared a small fire. Pippin found himself a comfortable spot and sat down to take a small nap. Legolas and Aragorn started arguing quietly about traveling while Ratchet sat down and relaxed against a tree.  
  
"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." Aragorn declared.  
  
"Oh yes? Just as simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impossible labyrinth of razor sharp rocks?" Pippin's started to bug out. "And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking, marshlands as far as the eye can see." Gimli protested.  
  
"That is our path. I suggest you rest and recover your strength Master Dwarf." Aragorn replied.  
  
"Recover my?!" and Gimli snorted. "Pay no mind to that young Hobbit!" he said to Pippin  
  
Merry returned with an armload of wood and set it down next to the fire. He looked around and asked, "Where's Frodo?"  
  
It was an innocent enough question that set off a chain of events.  
  
Ratchet felt her heart wrench and immediately ran off to find Boromir. She knew he had left also.  
  
'No. Please please Boromir! Don't give in!' she screamed in her mind. Trees flew past her as she ran in a random direction. She slowed as she heard voices close by, to her left. Ratchet stopped at the top of a hill and saw Frodo and Boromir.  
  
Boromir had a pile of wood in his arms, and Frodo was watching the man warily with a little bit of fear.  
  
"There are other ways Frodo. Other paths we might take." Boromir said.  
  
"I know what you would say. And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart." Frodo replied and took a step back as Boromir took a step forward.  
  
"Warning? Against what?" Frodo started to back away, but Boromir followed him. "They're all afraid. But to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have, it is madness."  
  
"There is no other way."  
  
"I only ask for the strength to defend my people!" Boromir threw down the wood. "If you would but lend me the Ring."  
  
"No." Frodo kept backing away, with Boromir still following him.  
  
"Why do you recoil? I am no thief."  
  
"You are not yourself."  
  
"What chance do you think you have? They will find you. They will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end!"  
  
Frodo turned around and started walking away. But Boromir wasn't done yet.  
  
"Fool! What could've been mine, what should be mine! Give it!" Frodo started to run but Boromir dived and caught his ankle. They started wrestling on the ground and Boromir reached towards the Ring on Frodo's silver chain.  
  
But Frodo was too quick, and put on the Ring and disappeared. Boromir blinked and started feeling around for him. Unseen by Boromir, Frodo got up and kicked the man and ran.  
  
"I see your mind." Boromir growled. "You would give the Ring to Sauron! Curse you! Curse on all the Halflings!" he yelled.  
  
Then he set eyes on Ratchet, staring at him with wide eyes.  
  
"What have I done?" he whispered to himself. Then louder, "Ratchet, please! I tried not to! I didn't want to!" but the damage was already done.  
  
Ratchet turned around and ran as fast as she could with tears in her eyes. She dimly heard Boromir yell 'I'm sorry!' before she got out of yelling range.  
  
Ratchet kept on running, while clutching at the necklace that Lady Galadriel gave her. It felt warm in her palm, the heat soothing her a little, but not much. All the while she could hear *him* laughing. She wanted to yell at him to shut up and go away, but it wouldn't work.  
  
'Why Boromir? Why couldn't you have tried harder? For me?'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Oooooooh. What'll happen next, me wonders? What'll happen to my preciousssssssss?  
  
Pinky & CrystalMeth: __  
  
Faulkner: ::lightning flashes and horses neigh:: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! 


	14. When Hope Has Fled And Love Is Shattered

Faulkner: This chapter is a tearjerker. Get out the Kleenex everyone!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ratchet wasn't quite sure when she first heard the battle cries. All she knew was that one minute she was running through the forest, the next, she was shooting orcs as fast as she could. Except, these orcs were a lot bigger, and stronger, maybe just a little bit smarter too.  
  
Soon she ran out of arrows and had to shoulder her bow and use her sword. But all too soon she also heard something that made her blood run cold.  
  
A horn.  
  
Boromir's horn.  
  
Ratchet looked up from her last fallen enemy and turned to face the direction that it came from.  
  
"Boromir...." she whispered.  
  
She didn't think, she didn't look, she just ran. The horn sounded again, orcs ran past her. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. Tears were running down her face as she ran.  
  
'Boromir. Don't die, please don't die. Boromir. Boromir!' she yelled in her mind.  
  
That's when she saw it.  
  
A particularly huge orc stood in front of Boromir with a bow nocked with an arrow, ready to fire. Boromir already had three arrows in him, and was kneeling, his face pale.  
  
Aragorn came out of nowhere and knocked the orc over, the arrow missing its intended target. She watched as Boromir crawled over to get his sword, but fell short and ended up laying under a tree. Even from this distance, Ratchet could tell he was fading.  
  
Fast.  
  
Then she turned back to see Aragorn cleave off the giant orcs head. Aragorn staggered over to Boromir and they started talking. All Ratchet could do was watch. It was like being in a nightmare, only worse. She felt nothing, and everything at the same time.  
  
Then Boromir's head turned in her direction, and everything rushed back to her.  
  
"Boromir!!" Ratchet's strangled cry brought Aragorn's attention to her.  
  
Ratchet ran over to the one other man that had known her love. The one other man that had touched her heart in a very profound way.  
  
"Ratchet." Boromir coughed and a little blood came up.  
  
"Ssshhh." Ratchet knelt down next to him and couldn't help but let the tears fall. She reached out and grasped his hand.  
  
"Here. Take this." Boromir reached for his neck and pulled out a necklace. On it was a black cat with big emerald eyes.  
  
"No. Keep it. I gave it to you, and it is yours. Remember that day Boromir? Do you remember?" Ratchet whispered.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
Boromir and Ratchet had found a nice secluded hill to watch the stars on, and were laying next to each other on a blanket. They had been sitting there for a good while now, and still hadn't spoken. But it had been a comfortable silence.  
  
"Boromir?"  
  
"Hmmm?" The man turned his head so he could see the one he loved.  
  
"I have something to give you." Ratchet said quietly. She reached behind her neck and undid the clasp that held Kuroneko's necklace on her.  
  
She took him off and showed the good-luck charm to him.  
  
"It was a good friends, and he gave it to me. Now i'm giving it to you." They both sat up and Ratchet put it on him. "The cats name is Kuroneko. It's a strange name, but I like it."  
  
Boromir looked into her eyes. "Thank you." he whispered.  
  
"I hope he gives you as much good-luck as he gave Kokuyo."  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
Boromir smiled up at her in the memory. Then he looked up at her with sorrow.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to take it from Frodo. I tried, I swear I tried. But it wasn't enough." he confessed.  
  
"Sssshhh. It's all right Boromir. I forgive you." More tears threatened to fall from Ratchet's eyes.  
  
"Ratchet?"  
  
"Yes love?" Ratchet choked out.  
  
"Could you sing me one more song. Please?"  
  
Ratchet gave him a crooked smile. "Of course."  
  
"Now I want to protect you  
  
Since my heart has become stronger  
  
As tired as I used to be  
  
I haven't learned to fly  
  
The faraway star  
  
Releases a blinding light  
  
As you embrace your Angel  
  
You look up to pray  
  
"Though i'm small"  
  
"I won't lose to anyone"  
  
I see the passion in your eyes  
  
And I want to talk to you  
  
During the fight  
  
You make a bet  
  
For the sake of a dream  
  
Now i'm dedicated to you  
  
Not only through love and courage  
  
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings  
  
But where are you flying?  
  
I truly believe  
  
In the power of dreams  
  
Someday i'll be where you are  
  
I'll definitely follow you  
  
This season, I want to see  
  
Your shining smile  
  
My heart throbs  
  
With a bit of that pain  
  
Though it's tough  
  
And it hurts  
  
I'm not alone  
  
Now I want to protect you  
  
Since my heart has become stronger  
  
As tired as I used to be  
  
I haven't learned to fly  
  
Now i'm dedicated to you  
  
Not only through love and courage  
  
You fly higher than anyone else with your wings  
  
But where are you flying?"  
  
Ratchet nearly choked out the last note. Boromir was smiling and watching her. He was still just barely alive.  
  
"Thank you Ratchet." he whispered.  
  
Ratchet watched him closely as one last white hot tear fell from her eye.  
  
"It's Aerin Boromir. My name's Aerin." she whispered to the dying man. He just smiled all the while.  
  
"Thank you. Aerin." He took one last shuddering breath before leaving his body.  
  
Ratchet hung her head over her hands clasped in Boromir's dead one.  
  
"Be at peace, son of Gondor." Aragorn whispered before kissing Boromir's forehead and closing his eyes.  
  
Ratchet gasped as the pain came back, full force. The last few things happened in a blur. Legolas and Aragorn carrying Boromir's body and putting it in a boat and then pushing it to the middle of the river. Then the boat going over the falls.  
  
Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli looked at Ratchet in worry. She hadn't spoken one word, and hadn't acknowledged their presences.  
  
"She cannot come with us. Her leg is badly wounded, and I don't think she could take much more." Legolas whispered to Aragorn. The elf, man, and dwarf watched Ratchet as she watched the falls.  
  
"We could send her back to Lorien. The Lady would surely let her stay there where it is safest and let her grieve in peace." Gimli whispered back. They all agreed on this and walked over to Ratchet.  
  
"Ratchet?" Legolas stood in front of her and looked her in the eyes. "We are going to follow the orcs that captured Merry and Pippin. You are too wounded to follow." He glanced at her arm and leg wounds. "We are going to give you directions to find Lothlorien. There, you will be healed and safe."  
  
Ratchet nodded her head slightly to show that she understood. Legolas quickly explained to her how to get back to Lothlorien while Aragorn got together what few things the three would need to track the group of orcs.  
  
Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas all said farewell and ran of to catch up with the band of orcs.  
  
Ratchet watched them run off and silently wished them luck. Then she turned to the provisions left in the last boat. Legolas had told her to scavenge all she would need and put it into one pack. Then hide what was left, and head for Lothlorien.  
  
She did this, without feeling anything. Totally in denial. She kept thinking that Boromir would walk out of the river soaking wet saying he was playing some cruel joke. But the alwats logical part of her mind told her that he was never coming back.  
  
Ratchet felt a strange warmth on her chest and looked down. The pendant that Galadriel had given her was glowing brightly. Ratchet put her hand over it and let the warmth wash through her hand and up her arm. Then down through the rest of her body.  
  
Ratchet looked down at her still slightly bleeding leg wound. After tending that, she got to work on her arm wound. When that was done she picked up her pack and slung it over the shoulder that didn't have the injured arm.  
  
One thought continuosly pounded in her head.  
  
'Is there such a thing as Hope and Love?'  
  
With that question and her sorrows her only company, she set off for Lorien, still holding the sun pendant, even though it was burning her skin.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: I actually cried while writing this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to my good and faithful dog Jasper. He was the best collie and best dog a person could ever ask for.  
  
~*Rest In Peace Jasper*~ 


	15. Arrival And Awakening

Faulkner: I got my first flame from Winterfox. It kept me nice and warm during the two days of rain we had over the week. Thanks!  
  
Pinky: It helped heat up the whole house, it was so long!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Galadriel watched all the events from her mirror, sighing at the pain that she saw in the young human.  
  
"Do you lose faith in me so quickly?" Galadriel murmured to herself. "Hope can do so much, if you just believe." The Lady of Light shook her head and turned away from the things that her mirror showed her.  
  
She walked back to her talan and looked over Caras Galadhon, Lorien, her home in Middle-Earth. Her thoughts continually strayed to the one hope that Middle-Earth had for survival, and the one hope that a certain human girl had.  
  
"What did you see?" Lord Celeborn appeared beside his wife and put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"She will not believe. Her heart is too sorrow filled and she cannot find the light." Galadriel replied with a sigh.  
  
He gave her shoulder a small squeeze and looked out over the forest that they ruled. His heart was torn between staying in Lothlorien and leaving for Valinor. They were both beautiful, and both were places that he yearned to stay in.  
  
"We should send a few elves to bring her back. She will not make it here, with her grief and wounds taking their toll on her strength." Galadriel said.  
  
"Yes. It is the best we can do for her at this time. I will send three on horse. We need to get to her before it is too late." The elf-lord kissed his wife on the cheek and sent a messenger for the marchwarden.  
  
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Ratchet felt weak. She had long ago cried the last of her tears and now just felt empty and weak. Already she wanted to stop and just curl up and die, and join Boromir. What was life, when you couldn't be happy?  
  
All day she walked through the lightly wooded area around the Falls of Rauros. Around nightfall she reached the end of the hilly area and found grassy plains. Ratchet only stopped to rest and ate very little. She followed the along the great river Anduin, just as Legolas said.  
  
But one day she stopped traveling.  
  
Something had snapped inside of her, and she decided it didn't matter. She didn't care if she lived or died. All she wanted was for all the pain to go away.  
  
Ratchet pulled out a blanket and laid it down on the ground near the Anduin. She laid down and covered herself up with her cloak and closed her eyes. She didn't know how long she had been traveling, and didn't care.  
  
The lone girl fell into a deep and uneasy sleep. Her wounds had become infected, and her fever had not been taken care of, or even noticed.  
  
And that was how the small group of elves found her.  
  
Haldir and two others had been riding hard and keeping near the Anduin, eyes always on the lookout for Ratchet. Haldir had been the one to first notice the small lump. He had almost galloped right past it, the only thing that had alerted him was a small moan and that the lump started to shake.  
  
He called their progress to a halt and dismounted. The elf quietly approached the lump and gently touched it. It moaned again and kept shaking. He turned it over and saw that it was an elvish cloak that had concealed her.  
  
The Captain gasped at the change that Ratchet had made over such a short time.  
  
Ratchet had become skinny, her eyes haunted and dark circles under them. She was deathly pale, except for the unnatural flush to her skin that showed she had a fever.  
  
He yelled over his shoulder at the two elves and they dismounted to take a look at her wounds. Haldir was no healer, and he knew it. He was thankful that he had the forsight to bring one.  
  
The healer tsked tsked over her wounds and quickly set about cleaning them properly. He explained that the fever had already taken a strong hold on her and only Galadriel had the power to dispel it. The best they could do was care for her wounds and hold the fever back as best they could.  
  
Haldir carefully picked her up and mounted his horse. He told one of the other elves to grab her pack, and he set off for Lorien, full sprint.  
  
They only stopped to let the horses eat and rest. The rest of the time they were traveling.  
  
But even when they reached the borders of the wood, Haldir's worry did not leave. Ratchet's condition had slowly deteriorated. The fever gave her chills and she was constantly shaking. Her eyes were wide and unseeing, and she would whisper nonsense. The only thing she reacted to was touch.  
  
The Lady Galadriel was ready and waiting in the healing hall for Ratchet. Haldir set her on a bed and Galadriel sent him off to rest.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------  
  
The next day Ratchet's fever was gone, but her wounds still needed time to heal. All week, Ratchet slept in the healing hall without waking once.  
  
When she did wake, it was nighttime and Haldir was visiting.  
  
At the time, he was talking to a healer about her condition.  
  
"When will she wake up?" he asked.  
  
"When she feels ready to. I have told you again and again that only she knows when she will wake up." the healer said. "I suggest you go home Captain. You need rest yourself."  
  
"You are dismissed." Haldir nodded to the healer and turned to look at Ratchet. He was surprised to see her eyes open and staring at him.  
  
"Ratchet?" he said, incredulous.  
  
Ratchet licked her pale lips and swallowed. "Yeah?"  
  
Haldir grinned and sat in a chair next to her bed. Then took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It is good to see you awake."  
  
Ratchet looked around her and frowned slightly. "Where am I? How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"You are in Lorien. You've been asleep for a little over a week." he answered.  
  
"Where's - " and she stopped. The recent events hit her, and made her feel dizzy. She closed her eyes and waited for it to pass. Then slowly sat up and looked around her again. Her hand strayed to the sun pendant and gripped it.  
  
Ratchet pulled off the covers and stood.  
  
"You shouldn't -" Haldir started.  
  
"I need to get some fresh air Haldir." She looked down at her injured leg and got the ghost of a smile. "Damn. The same leg the orcs in Moria shot. Son of a monkey." Shaking her head, she limped over to the window and scanned the city in the forest.  
  
It all looked the same as the last time she had been there. Everything was glowing with an inner light, even the elves seemed to glow.  
  
"Nothings changed. It's as if time doesn't work here." she whispered to herself. Her eyes glazed over as her thoughts drifted.  
  
"There are clean clothes on the table for you. I'll have some food sent up, you must be hungry." Haldir said. He was watching her carefully from the bedside. She nodded, but didn't move.  
  
Haldir left silently and found a messenger to get a tray of food from the kitchens. When he returned, this time with food, Ratchet was in the clean pair of pants and shirt, but standing at the window again. He set the tray down on the table and walked over to her side. She didn't show any sign that she knew he was there and kept staring unseeingly.  
  
"I brought some food."  
  
Ratchet didn't even blink. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"You need to eat. You've been sleeping for at least a week and only you know how long before that you hadn't had something good in your stomach." he reasoned.  
  
Ratchet stepped away from the window and sat at the table. Then slowly started to eat. Haldir pulled out a chair and sat down and watched her eat. She seemed detached from everything around her, and it was scaring him. Lady Galadriel had told him of Boromir's fate, and he hated the man for putting Ratchet in so much.  
  
What is it enough that she had been in this kind of pain before? And now she had to face it all over again.  
  
When she finished she pushed the tray away and stared off into space. They sat in silence, until a messenger entered and bowed.  
  
"Captain, Lord Celeborn wishes to speak to you about the battle preparations."  
  
Haldir glanced at Ratchet, who was now staring intently at the messenger.  
  
"Thank you. Please tell the Lord that I will be there shortly." The messenger bowed and left.  
  
"Battle preparations?" Ratchet was now staring at Haldir.  
  
"Yes. Battle preparations. We are going to aid in the fight against the traitor Saruman. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Haldir stood to leave, and studied Ratchet for a few moments. She seemed to have slipped back into her reverie. "Good day." and the elf nodded and left.  
  
She sat at the table most of the day, discussing the strange turn of events. Occasionally she would get up and pace, then sit back down still as a statue.  
  
When Haldir returned with a tray of supper, Ratchet was standing by the window again. He set the tray down on the table and sat down. He was about to speak, but Ratchet beat him to it.  
  
"I'm coming." she whispered.  
  
"What?" Haldir wondered what she meant.  
  
"I'm coming." she said a little louder.  
  
"Coming where?"  
  
"I'm going to Helms Deep with you guys."  
  
"No. It will be too dangerous." he immediatly shot it down.  
  
"Oh. And you call the quest to destroy the One Ring safe?" Ratchet turned and faced him.  
  
"No. But.... but you're still healing." Haldir didn't want her in any more battles. He wanted her safely in Lothlorien. And on the other hand, she was unstable. The one she loved had just died, and he had a feeling that she was in denial.  
  
"By the time we're leaving i'll be all healed and rested. And if you try to leave without me, i'll steal a horse and follow. If you let me go, at least i'll be near some elves. I'm not gonna stay here and die of boredom. Don't make me resort to blackmail." and she stared him down.  
  
Haldir scowled and thought about it. He wouldn't put it past her to steal a horse and follow them. Her and the Hobbits had gotten into some trouble while they had been staying there. Though he didn't know what blackmail was, it didn't sound like a good thing.  
  
He sighed and grumbled to himself. He knew he was going to regret his decision.  
  
"Fine. You can come on two conditions. One, you follow my orders. You are a soldier, and are supposed to follow my commands. Two, that the Lord and Lady say that you are allowed to go."  
  
Ratchet nodded in agreement to the terms and sat down at the table and ate all the food on the tray. Haldir could already see a good change in her since he had found her in the wilds. Her skin was a healthier color and the circles under her eyes were fading.  
  
"I will talk to the Lord and Lady tonight, and we will see what they say in the morning." Haldir said. "Quel undome." (Good evening.)  
  
Ratchet nodded and changed into the nightgown after Haldir left. She stared out the window for a while before climbing into the big bed to sleep. A tear fell as she thought about how Boromir would have reacted to hearing about her going into a major battle.  
  
The sun pendant glowed faintly and felt warm against her skin.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: ::sigh:: I'm so stressed out. Wars broken out and my close cousin Robert is out in Kuwait. Right in the thick of it. And he had just got out of basic too.  
  
Pinky: War sucks.  
  
Faulkner: Yeah, my dad knows it! He's a veteran of WW2, the Gulf War, and Desert Storm. He said it was pretty rough out there. 


	16. From Lorien To Helms Deep

Faulkner: I'm sorry for the wait on the third chapter for my other story! I'm being plagued by writers block!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Haldir had been counting on the fact that the Lord and Lady would not agree to let Ratchet ride with the elves to Helms Deep.  
  
So much for that plan.  
  
Lady Galadriel had agreed, saying that it would be best if Ratchet had something to occupy her mind. Staying in Lorien would mean that she would have infinite amounts of time to herself with nothing to do. Lord Celeborn had agreed with his wife and told Haldir to prepare Ratchet for the journey.  
  
Haldir had cursed his luck and returned to Ratchet the next morning with breakfast and the news. Her only reaction had been a nod and a slight grin.  
  
"You will have to carry your rations in a pack and you will be given a dagger for emergency purposes." Haldir told her as Ratchet ate. He explained what her role in the small army would be, and what she was to do.  
  
Just as he was leaving with the empty tray, Ratchet called out for him.  
  
"Yes?" Haldir stopped in the doorway and turned towards her.  
  
"Thought you could get rid of me, didncha?" and she smiled slyly.  
  
Inside, the marchwarden was singing to see little bit of her old self coming back. On the outside, he left her, and went about working on the preparations for the march to Helms Deep and the battle that would take place.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------  
  
The next three days were a blur for all the elves and the one human that were preparing for the fight. All weapons were polished and sharpened and made battle ready. Quivers were stuffed to bursting with arrows and bows were checked for any weaknesses in the wood and string.  
  
Seeing as elves made the bows, of course no flaws were found.  
  
Ratchet had been sternly warned by the healer to not over work her arm in the next five days. That gave her plenty of time for her arm to repair from the damage that had been done by the orcs. She made sure that her arm was gently brought back up to par.  
  
On the day of their leaving, there were no teary good byes. They had all been done in the privacy of their homes.  
  
Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel gave them their blessings and prayers, and they set off.  
  
The small elvish army set off early in the morning and stopped long after sunset. They only stopped for quick breaks and lunch. Ratchet was hard pressed to keep up, but managed somehow.  
  
The only thing that really bothered her was the silence.  
  
The elves were all quiet. None of them talked with their friends or teased each other. They were silent. A graveyard made more noise than them. The only sound was the rare snap of a twig under Ratchet's feet.  
  
After the first three days of marching Ratchet was nearly crazy with the silence. None of them had spoken a word to her and Haldir only ever talked to her when absolutely necessary. She was going insane with all the silence.  
  
It was just past lunch time when Ratchet finally came up with a brilliant idea on how to make noise.  
  
She would sing.  
  
Though the last time she had sang, it was to a dying Boromir. Ratchet tried to block out that thought, hold back tears, and think of a song all at once.  
  
And succeeded.  
  
"On a cold wet  
  
Afternoon  
  
In a room full of emptiness  
  
By a freeway  
  
I confess I was lost in the pages  
  
Of a book  
  
Full of death  
  
Reading how we'll die alone  
  
And if a god will lay to rest  
  
And where we want to go."  
  
Ratchet was singing under her breath, so of course, all the elves in the army heard her.  
  
"In your house  
  
I long to be  
  
Room by room  
  
Patiently  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Like a stone  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Alone  
  
And on my deathbed  
  
I will pray  
  
To the gods and the angels  
  
Like a pagan  
  
To anyone who will take me to heaven  
  
To a place  
  
I recall  
  
I was there so long ago  
  
The sky was bruised  
  
The ground was bled  
  
And there you led me on  
  
In your house  
  
I long to be  
  
Room by room  
  
Patiently  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Like a stone  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Alone  
  
Alone."  
  
The elves listened with interest and felt their hearts lighten slightly, even though the lyrics spoke of death. Possibly their own deaths.  
  
Haldir was worried at the slightly morbid tune, but thought that Ratchet had a good idea. Singing would probably lighten the burden on all the soldiers hearts.  
  
"In all I read  
  
Till the day was gone  
  
And I sat in regret  
  
In all the things i've done  
  
For all that i've blessed  
  
And all that i've wronged  
  
In dreams until my death  
  
I will wonder on  
  
In your house  
  
I long to be  
  
Room by room  
  
Patiently  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Like a stone  
  
I'll wait for you there  
  
Alone  
  
Alone."  
  
Ratchet ended the song and walked in silence again. The silence was deafening and it was starting to get on her nerves again. Little did she know that the soldiers all wanted to hear another song, but were too scared to ask her.  
  
There luck was with them, for she started on a new one.  
  
"The painted second-hand etches time tonight as well  
  
chi chi chi....  
  
Throwing away the homework I can't ever get through with  
  
SUN OF A GUN!"  
  
The elves jumped slightly as she sang in a normal voice the 'sun of a gun' part. But then went back to singing quietly to herself.  
  
"It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after  
  
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart  
  
That is so promises are a crime and just a while ago it's the bell for ditching  
  
ru ru ru.....  
  
You who never show up are Mebius' goal  
  
OH MY GOD!"  
  
The elves jumped again at the 'oh my god.'  
  
"I wouldn't want to be with people without tears  
  
When you're embracing sorrow i'd like to draw you closer  
  
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after  
  
Even if tomorrow turns pale I shall get it and show you  
  
It's a rolling dream what i'd like to go after  
  
If you stop it will get away it's a matter of not losing heart  
  
It's a rolling dream....."  
  
Ratchet went quiet again and felt eyes on her back. She turned around and saw a few of the elves avert their gaze from her. She blushed and pulled her cloak tighter around her like it would protect her.  
  
When they finally stopped that day, Ratchet didn't bother to eat and curled up under her cloak to sleep. The problem was, she was wired. Her brain was going a thousand miles a minute and there wasn't a chance that it would slow down.  
  
Eventually she gave up on sleep and stood up and paced as quietly as she could. All the elves were asleep except for the one or two on watch. All the eyes that she looked into were glazed and unfocused in the elvish equivalent of sleep.  
  
Ratchet paced from her cloak to a rock seven feet away. Back and forth, back and forth, until a voice made her stop dead in her tracks.  
  
"Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."  
  
Ratchet jumped and whirled around. Haldir was sitting on a boulder and his eyes were on her.  
  
"Jesus Haldir! Make a little noise so you don't give me a heart attack!" she whispered harshly.  
  
Ratchet could tell he was grinning, even though she could barely see his face.  
  
"Come over here and sit down."  
  
Ratchet looked around like it might be a trap of some sort before slowly walking over and sitting next to him.  
  
"Why are you still up?" Haldir whispered.  
  
"Can't sleep."  
  
"I can see that. *Why* can't you sleep?"  
  
Ratchet sighed and looked up at the stars. They were bright that night, and almost made up for the lack of a moon.  
  
"I dunno." she finally answered, and sighed. "I haven't been sleeping too well. Been having some nightmares and such. I'm tired, but I just can't seem to sleep. Fuckin' insomnia."  
  
"Nightmares about what? Sometimes it helps to talk about them." Haldir said softly.  
  
Ratchet laid her head in hands and whispered one word.  
  
"Boromir."  
  
Haldir's breath caught in his throat and he watched Ratchet intently. Her body shook slightly and he could faintly hear her sobs.  
  
"Why did he die Haldir? He was a good guy. He never meant to try to take it. He only wanted to help his people. Is it so wrong to want to help your family, your city?"  
  
Haldir watched her and tentatively put a comforting hand on her back.  
  
That night Haldir showed the compassionate side of him and comforted Ratchet the best he could. She eventually fell asleep on Haldir's shoulder and he carefully moved her to her cloak.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A few days after that Ratchet was nearly driven crazy by the silence again. The army was resting and Ratchet was about ready to jump up and down and scream at the top of her lungs just to hear something. It was nearing nighttime, and they were close to Helms Deep. The mountains that had seemed so far away were now very near.  
  
She picked up a stick and started drawing in the dirt.  
  
When a pair of boots stood in front of her, she looked up from her funky drawings to look at the elf in front of her. He looked a little nervous, his eyes were shifting from his boots to rocks on the ground.  
  
"Uhhh.... Can I help you?" Ratchet said.  
  
The elf cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak. But then closed it, and opened it again only to close it. After about a minute of looking like a blond haired fish, Ratchet spoke, if only to keep herself from laughing.  
  
"Look. If you have something to say, say it. If not, then go back to your friends."  
  
"My friends and I heard your singing a few days back." the elf blurted out.  
  
Ratchet nodded. "I figured someone heard me." she muttered.  
  
"Well, we were wondering if you could sing some more." Ratchet's head snapped up.  
  
"You wha?" she asked in disbelief.  
  
The elf was growing a little more courageous. "We were wondering if you could sing again."  
  
"Me? Sing?"  
  
Ratchet looked behind the elf in front of her and watched studied the group that he had come from. They all had hopeful looks in their eyes.  
  
She was just about to answer when Haldir told them it was time to march again.  
  
The elf that had questioned her went back to his friends and Ratchet took her position behind Haldir. A grin slowly spread across her face, the first true grin since Boromir had died.  
  
"Don't live with shame  
  
'Cause feelings change  
  
One thing remains  
  
The reason why you're gonna wanna take me home tonight  
  
It's all the same  
  
Up in this game  
  
The people change  
  
Money claims  
  
Everyone from everything."  
  
Ratchet sang loud enough so all the elves could clearly hear her.  
  
"I can't believe that you would think that shit of me  
  
I was amazed at the torment that you put me through  
  
If you could see  
  
Right through the greed  
  
And all your needs  
  
You'd realize you were just about as bad as me  
  
Sometimes I only remember  
  
The days when I was young  
  
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid  
  
The way you like it  
  
Come on baby  
  
Help me, someone to confide in  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to say  
  
My life has changed  
  
But fuck the fame  
  
I'll stay the same  
  
You can't complain when you can pay the bills and do your thing  
  
Appreciate  
  
Don't playa hate  
  
Congratulate  
  
I miss the pain and the torment that you put me through  
  
So what's to fear when everything is crystal clear  
  
You realize you should do the things you wanna do  
  
Don't give into  
  
What people say  
  
Don't be ashamed  
  
To separate the feelings you can't sedate  
  
Sometimes I only remember  
  
The days when I was young  
  
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid  
  
The way you like it  
  
Come on baby  
  
Help me, some one to confide in  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
I'll get inside you."  
  
Ratchet took her eyes off Haldir's back long enough to see that some of the elves were actually smiling. Smiling!  
  
"You would always say i'd never be shit  
  
They would always say i'd never be shit  
  
But look at me now, look at me now!  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
The way you like it!  
  
Sometimes I only remember  
  
The days when I was young  
  
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid  
  
The way you like it  
  
Come on baby  
  
Help me, someone to confide in  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Sometimes I only remember  
  
The days when I was young  
  
Nowadays no one remembers when they were young and stupid  
  
The way you like it  
  
Come on baby  
  
Help me, some one to confide in  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
I'll get inside you  
  
Now you're begging me to stay  
  
The way you like it!"  
  
Ratchet finished with a satisfactory smile. A tingle of pride in her singing went through her as she heard a few murmurs of praise.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Lord Almighty. That is one biiiiiiiiiiiiig fort." Ratchet murmured as they came upon Helms Deep. An elf a few people down blew on the horn for the third time that night.  
  
A big ramp went right up to a set of double doors to the right of the fort. The rest of it was wall, the stone probably three feet in density. A small stream came out of a grate in the wall.  
  
Ratchet yawned as they walked up the ramp and in through the doors that were opened for them. She stopped in her tracks when she saw who greeted them.  
  
There were hundreds of men standing behind one man in expensive clothes. 'That's probably the king' Ratchet thought. But what caught her sight was the three people walking over to them.  
  
"How is this possible?" the king asked, looking at the army.  
  
Haldir stepped forward and spoke. "I bring word from Lord Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance."  
  
Aragorn stepped forward and shook hands with Haldir. "Mae govannen Haldir. You are most welcome." (Welcome Haldir.) And unexpectedly Aragorn hugged Haldir. Ratchet sniggered at the elf's surprised look. Aragorn pulled back and beamed at the marchwarden.  
  
"We are proud to fight alongside men, once more." Haldir said with a small smile.  
  
"Ai!"  
  
Ratchet removed her gaze from Aragorn and Haldir in time to see Legolas rush forward, pick her up, and swing her around.  
  
"It is good to see you again alive and well Ratchet!" he said.  
  
"It's nice to see you again too, Legolas." Ratchet answered.  
  
"Tougher than mithril, that one." Gimli stated proudly to the king. "We are glad to see that she's in one piece."  
  
"A lady went with you on your quest?" the king asked, surprised and confused.  
  
"Of course! She wouldn't have it any other way!" Gimli replied and then walked over to where Ratchet was being questioned by Aragorn.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Aragorn asked her.  
  
Ratchet looked up at the man. "A bit tired, but all right."  
  
"You won't have time to sleep." Haldir said to her. Then to the king, "The orc army of Saruman was not far the last we saw. An army ten thousand strong."  
  
"Helms Deep has never been taken, and never will be." The king stated so all could hear. "Not while I am king."  
  
Ratchet looked over the king and grimaced.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be a long night?"  
  
Legolas and Gimli looked at her and started chuckling.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: Longest chapter ever!!! Yay!! ::does happy dance:: For all of those peeps who want to see Boromir again, all I have to say is this. Wait for it. I promise, I am not abandoning him!  
  
Pinky: The songs are listed in the order that they are read. Audioslave: Like A Stone, Adema: The Way You Like It, and from Yu-Yu Hakusho: The Homework Never Ends. 


	17. Fight For Life

Faulkner: I'm sorry for the wait on the next chapter for my other story! I'm encountering some obstacles. Such as writers block and a two page essay for Language Arts. And i'm free from the hag Mrs.Miller!!! Yay!! Now I have the nice Mr.Brown who teaches computers. The class is lame, but easy, and the teacher is cool. My luck is finally turning around!!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ratchet had somehow managed to get some rest. Legolas and Gimli had argued with Haldir about letting her sleep. They had won and promised the marchwarden that she would be awake for the battle. Ratchet had been left alone in a corner of the hall to sleep some. She had been woken when the sounds of orc horns were heard.  
  
Currently, she was on the wall with Haldir to her left and Gimli on her right. The poor Dwarf couldn't even see over the wall! Haldir had given a little 'pep talk' to his army (including Ratchet) beforehand.  
  
Ratchet gulped at the size of the orc army. It was monstrous. Torches were scattered among the orcs, and some held banners with a white hand painted on them.  
  
"What does the white han stand for?" Ratchet asked Haldir.  
  
"Saruman." was his reply.  
  
Ratchet nodded and looked back at the orc army. They were all uglier than ugly. They started yelling and stamping, making a racket and calling out in orcish. Some even pounded on their shields with their wickedly curved swords.  
  
A human archer got agravated and shot an orc soldier dead. Aragorn yelled at the man and the orcs growled at the act.  
  
Aragorn called out in elvish and all the elven archers raised their bows and drew an arrow. Gimli was complaining to Legolas about the height of the wall and how he couldn't see. Legolas said something to the dwarf and Gimli laughed.  
  
Aragorn yelled something else and Ratchet watched Haldir concentrate.  
  
"Ratchet?" Haldir called softly.  
  
Ratchet jumped slightly. "Yeah Haldir?"  
  
"Promise me something." Legolas started speaking to all the archers in elvish.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Promise me you will live through this." he said.  
  
"I dunno if i'll be able to promise that Haldir. This is battle, and anything can happen."  
  
Haldir considered this and nodded slightly. "Promise me you will be careful and not take any unnecessary risks." he said after a moment.  
  
"I promise." Ratchet said.  
  
Aragorn called out again and all the elves let their arrows fly. All found their targets and the dying cries of orcs mingled with that of thunder. Ratchet looked up and saw lightning flash across the sky. The brief brightness illuminated the faces of the orcs and made them even uglier, if that was even possible.  
  
Then the orc army charged forward and someone yelled, "Ladders!"  
  
The elves needed no encouragement and continued shooting the enemy. Ratchet pulled out her sword in anticipation.  
  
Suddenly the heavens opened up and started to cry. The rain came in a downpour and started soaking everyone and everything.  
  
A ladder came in front of Ratchet and an orc almost immediately came up it. He was the first one to taste the steel of her blade. But more came and soon Ratchet lost track of her friends as she tried to keep the orcs off the wall.  
  
She was brave enough to look over the wall after yet another orc fell and saw that another one was almost halfway up the ladder. Ratchet wasted no time in putting her sword away and shoving the top of the ladder with all her might. She grunted and pulled back. Then rammed into it again and the ladder teetered back and looked like it was deciding whether to fall or go back to the wall.  
  
Ratchet cursed and jumped on the wall railing. Arrows immediately came after her. She ignored them and kicked the ladder. It fell backwards and she watched as it crushed many of its makers.  
  
But there must have been a hole in the defences because soon the orcs were streaming onto the wall and coming up behind the defenders. Ratchet concentrated on bringing down the ladders, the source of the orcs.  
  
It seemed that every time ladder fell two more were erected. She found a torch on the ground amidst the fighting and got an idea.  
  
She picked it up and started setting the ladders on fire. The dry wood caught fire easily. The fire spread down the ladder and burned the orcs that were attempting to climb it. Now the smell of burning orc flesh was added to the stink of blood.  
  
But the orcs kept coming and soon Ratchet was forced off the wall.  
  
The fighting progressed and the rain didn't let up. Ratchet was surprised when a sudden explosion knocked her off her feet.  
  
"What the hell is a bomb doing here!?" Ratchet yelled as she pulled herself out of some rubble. Orcs were streaming in through the breach.  
  
A horn was being blown and a cry was passed around. "Into the Deep! Into the Deep!" the soldiers cried and retreated back. Ratchet looked around and saw so many bodies and blood that it made her sick. She retreated with the rest of her soldiers and was the last one in before the doors were barricaded.  
  
She found herself a corner and plopped down on the floor, wiping the orc blood from her weapon with a bit of cloth she had found. Ratchet leaned back and rested her sword on her lap, one hand on the hilt, the other on the floor.  
  
Abruptly she felt that unfortunately familiar searing heat.  
  
"What do you want?" Ratchet growled at the Great Eye.  
  
~How do you like the fighting?~ the Eye said. It laughed at her and upped the heat.  
  
Ratchet cringed slightly, and shivered despite the heat.  
  
~This all could have been avoided if you had given me my ring. But you had to be stubborn about it. Now they are all dead because of you.~ it accused.  
  
"They are all dead because of *Saruman*. I had no part of this." Ratchet argued. 'No way is this guy....er....eye gonna pull the guilt trip on me and succeed' she thought.  
  
~Think what you will, but it is all your fault.~ Sauron said. If it had a mouth, it would have been sneering at Ratchet. With a booming laugh that gave her a great headache he let her soul return to her body.  
  
"Damn." Ratchet muttered. "Now he's reaching me when i'm awake."  
  
She stood up and checked herself. So far she had no serious injuries, only cuts and bruises. The hall was eerily silent except for the sound of Aragorn and the King arguing quietly off to the side.  
  
"Bring me my horse!" the King yelled and an assistant rushed out to do his bidding.  
  
The King was soon mounted on his dark brown stallion and ready for battle. He had rallied what was left of his men and they followed behind him. Two servants removed the barricades and opened the doors.  
  
The King startled the orcs who had been lulled into a false sense of security. Many who had camped for the rest of the night were slaughtered. Ratchet also came out fighting and was grateful for the appearance of the sun.  
  
They heard horns and Ratchet looked up from her newly fallen enemy to see what looked like Gandalf in white and many fresh warriors on horses. They came over the ridge and charged the orcs from behind.  
  
By now it seemed that nothing could surprise her now. She gave a whoop and went at her enemys with renewed strength.  
  
The battle only ended when the few remaining orcs were either killed or ran for their lives. Ratchet looked around at all the dead bodies and gagged. Soldiers started looking for the wounded that could be saved and some whose passing could be eased.  
  
Ratchet wandered around and was careful to not step on any human or elf bodies. Also checking for anyone who could be alive while going in search of Haldir. Every so often she would find one that was alive and call for help.  
  
Despite her efforts, she couldn't find the marchwarden of Lorien.  
  
She walked into the hall and came upon Aragorn who was sitting alone at a table.  
  
"Aragorn?" The man looked up and smiled slightly at her. "Have you seen Haldir anywhere? I can't seem to find that blasted elf."  
  
The smile vanished his face filled with sorrow.  
  
"Haldir...." he started, but couldn't seem to finish. Ratchet felt her chest tighten in dread. Aragorn cleeared his throat and shifted his eyes to look at the floor. "Haldir is dead Ratchet. He was stabbed by an orc."  
  
Ratchet felt someone had punched her in the gut. All of the air rushed out of her lungs. Her knees weakened and threatened to turn into jelly.  
  
"No." Ratchet whispered. 'He can't die. Not after Boromir left me. Why is everyone leaving me?' Her face twisted into a pain filled and grief stricken mask of horror. She slowly backed up, then turned around and ran from the hall.  
  
No one stopped her, just glanced up at her passing form and pitying her. They thought that she would get over her grief in time. After all, everyone else will, why shouldn't she?  
  
Ratchet ran until she found a corner hidden away from all the blood and gore. She sat down and stared at her bloodstained hands. They were tinged black from all the orc blood that had poured over them. She shakily pulled out her waterskin and poured a little water into her palm. After scrubbing away all the dirt she studied her hands.  
  
Ratchet slid her gaze to the greenish veins that showed through her skin in her wrist. They pumped blood through her and helped give her life. She pulled out the dagger Haldir gave her the day before they left Lothlorien.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
Ratchet walked towards the archery fields where Haldir had told her to meet him.  
  
"Hi Haldir. What did you ask me to come here for?" she asked.  
  
The elf turned around and held a beautiful dagger in his hands. The hilt looked like it was made out of some substance akin to ivory. The handle was smooth and had silvery designs threading through it. The sheath was black and had elvish incsribed in silver on it. In the middle of it the cover for the dagger was a golden sun.  
  
"Wow. That is one gorgeous dagger." Ratchet breathed.  
  
"It is for you." Haldir said. Ratchet looked up at him curiously. "It will be useful once the fighting begins at Helms Deep."  
  
Ratchet looked back at the dagger and sighed. "I can't take something like that. It's too good for me. I can have a plain dagger."  
  
"Yes, you can take it. It is yours, whether you want it or not." Then he added with a grin, "And you do want it."  
  
Ratchet looked back at him doubtfully. Then slowly picked up the dagger from his hands and pulled out the dagger. The blade was smooth and gleamed from even the smallest amount of light. She threw it up into the air and caught it by the handle as it fell back down.  
  
"It's perfect." she whispered. "Thank you Haldir. Thanks a lot." and she gave him a small smile.  
  
~*End Flashback*~  
  
"You were right Haldir, it has come in handy." Ratchet whispered to herself.  
  
She lowered the blade, and with a flick of her wrist made a long cut on her left wrist. Warm red blood started flowing from the cut and onto the ground.  
  
"Amazing that such a strange fluid holds so much life." she whispered in wonder. Oddly, she didn't feel any pain, only as if she was being slowly drained of energy.  
  
She wiped off the small amount of blood that had gotten on her dagger and put it back in its sheath.  
  
"And you bleed just to know you're alive  
  
And I don't want the world to see me  
  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
  
When everything's made to be broken  
  
I just want you to know who I am."  
  
Ratchet sang the verse over and over. She stared in fascination as the blood made a river and flowed from her wrist to the ground. From there it formed a red pool that slowly grew in size.  
  
Her eyes never strayed from the red stuff coming out of her body. Not even when Legolas found her and tried to stop the bloodflow. Everything was fuzzy and sounds came to her as if they were far away.  
  
"What have you done to yourself mellonamin?" Legolas whispered desperately. He had never seen a human try to commit suicide.  
  
"Let me be." Ratchet answered and stared at the growing red spot on the temporary bandage. "Boromir died, Haldir died, why can't I die? No one saved them, yet you're saving me. Am I cursed? What have I done that is so horrible that everyone wants to leave me?"  
  
Legolas saw the pool of blood and gasped at how much of it there was. 'How long has she been sitting here like this?' he thought to himself. "Come. We must see the healers." he said to her. Ratchet looked up at him lazily and he noticed that her eyes were slightly glassy.  
  
He picked her up and rushed towards the hall where the healers had set up a temporary infirmary. Legolas set her down in the first free space and called for a healer. A tall pale blond haired woman with freckles across the bridge of her nose came over and asked what was wrong with her.  
  
"She slit her wrist, Lady Eowyn." Legolas answered, showing her the already bloodsoaked bandage.  
  
"Oh my..." Eowyn called for fresh bandages and a small girl came over with a handful of clean cloths. She took the new bandages and pulled off the bloodsoaked one on Ratchet's wrist. Blood immediately started dripping on the floor and forming a small red puddle.  
  
Eowyn hurriedly stopped the blood flow and wrapped a clean bandage tightly around the cut wrist. The bandage started turning red from blood from her wrist.  
  
"Prince Legolas, you are going to have to put pressure on her wound or else it won't stop bleeding." Eowyn told Legolas. She showed him what to do, and then left to help the wounded soldiers.  
  
Ratchet was quiet through all this and never moved. Legolas would have thought her dead if it weren't for her shallow and erratic breaths. He picked her up and took her outside and found a quiet spot for them to sit.  
  
Legolas was scared silly at what she had attempted to do. He wondered what had pushed her to do this. Looking at the surprising fragil form that was cradled in his arms he thought back to what she said.  
  
Had Haldir died?  
  
"Why does this shit always happen to me?" she whispered so softly that even his elvish hearing had trouble picking it up. "Why can't I ever find peace?"  
  
Ratchet looked over the horrible scenery and grimaced. Even though her sight was deteriorating as she slipped into darkness, the gruesome sight was clear enough for her.  
  
Legolas shouted for help as Ratchet passed out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Nuttin to say 'cept please review! 


	18. He's What?

Faulkner: Disclaimer huh? Been a while since I last did one of those. Alrighty, here it goes....  
  
I hereby declare that I own none of the names, characters, places, and other crap in this story except for the pendant, Ratchet, and parts of the plotline. And if you try to sue me, all you'll get is some sand and a torn shirt. P  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Ratchet awoke, all she felt was a throbbing in her left wrist. She grimaced and thought 'Damn, i'm still here. Why can't I even kill myself right?' She shifted into a sitting position and looked around. She had been moved into a small room, and her clothes were changed.  
  
Ratchet now wore dark brown pants and a dark green shirt. She pulled her arms out from under the covers and stared at her wrist. It was thickly bandaged, and now only a small red spot could be seen.  
  
'Well. If i'm going to recover, I might as well do that right' she thought humorlessly.  
  
After putting her boots back on and grabbing the dagger that Haldir had given to her, she left the room and wandered down the halls. Only one person passed her, and it was an old woman. Ratchet asked the lady for directions, but was ignored.  
  
Ratchet did a very childish thing, stuck her tongue out at the lady when she passed her.  
  
"Some people and manners." Ratchet grumbled.  
  
It didn't matter though, for she soon found the kitchen on her own. The headwoman gave her some kind of broth and directed her to a seat in the corner of the kitchen. Ratchet ate it all and was then given a piece of stale bread.  
  
She grimaced at the taste of the bread, but ate it anyway. She thanked the headwoman and left the kitchen.  
  
Ratchet wandered around the halls for what seemed like an eternity to her. She was lost in her thoughts, mostly about how her life had come to this, when she heard an indignant yell.  
  
"I am NOT a child! I can take care of MYSELF!"  
  
Ratchet stopped dead in her tracks at the voice. It couldn't have been him. It was impossible. He was dead. Haldir was dead!  
  
Wasn't he?  
  
Ratchet slowly walked to the door where all the commotion was coming from, not daring to hope it was really him. She stopped in front of the door and put her hand on the door knob. Slowly, she pushed the door open and entered.  
  
The sight that greeted her was so ridiculus, and yet, so relieving.  
  
On a bed in the middle of the room, sat Haldir. He was naked from the waist up, the only thing on him a bandage on his side. A healer was fussing over the bandage, and Haldir was trying to push him away, while another healer tried to hold him back.  
  
Ratchet blinked several times to make sure she wasn't sleep-walking or something of the sort.  
  
"Oh, for the love of God people!" she burst out. "Leave the damn elf alone, will ya?!" The healers looked up at her and she could swear she saw them grin evilly.  
  
"Ah yes. Our other patient is awake!" The two were next to her, quick as a flash, and were checking her bandaged wrist. She tried to pull her arm away, but the two had gotten her good.  
  
When they were satisfied, they bowed at Haldir and left. Haldir, in the meantime, had put on a grey shirt and had watched the healers fuss over Ratchet.  
  
Ratchet then turned her attention back to the Lorien elf. She walked over to his bedside and looked at his sheets.  
  
"You no good, son of a bitch. You mother fuckin' perverted bastardized little shit." Haldir's eyes widened at her curses. But then he gasped when he felt something wet and warm hit his hand. He looked down at his hand, and saw a lone tear.  
  
He gently put a finger under Ratchet's chin and lifted so he could see her face. Ratchet was crying.  
  
"I thought you were dead." she whispered so softly, it was hard for even his elven ears to hear. "I didn't want you to die."  
  
Haldir was taken aback at this behavior. He had never seen her cry before, and it was a strange sight to behold. She grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it between two of hers. She choked back a sob and shakily caressed his hand.  
  
With surprising deftness, he pulled her onto the bed and hugged her to his good side. He smoothed back her hair and tried to calm her down.  
  
"It is all right. I am alive, Ratchet. Everything will be fine. Do not cry. Sssshhh." She held onto him, like he would die if she let go. She buried her face into his good side and tried to stiffle her sobs.  
  
The door silently opened, and Haldir looked up from Ratchet to see Legolas and Aragorn in the doorway. The two looked at Ratchet's slightly shaking form and shook their heads.  
  
'We'll be back later' Aragorn mouthed to Haldir. The elf nodded, and started to stroke her back. Legolas smiled at the sight of the two. This was a side of the marchwarden he had never seen before. It was interesting to see him comforting a human in such a way.  
  
Ratchet didn't notice their sudden presence, or their leaving. She was concentrating on trying to stop crying. She didn't like to cry, it made her feel weak and vulnerable.  
  
But it was so relieving to see Haldir alive and sort of well. It was good to see that he didn't disappear when she touched him, or hugged him back. He was alive, and she was determined to keep it that way.  
  
Ratchet finally stopped crying, but didn't loosen her grip.  
  
"Feel better?" Haldir asked.  
  
"Much, thanks." Ratchet mumbled into his side. A smile tugged at Haldir's lips as he watched her cling to him. He thought it slightly humorous that a human with such a spirit could act like this.  
  
When she did pull back, Ratchet only moved her head so she could see Haldir's face. She studied it carefully, noting every curve and delicate feature. She had come so close to losing him as well. It nearly killed her.  
  
Haldir's thoughts turned from Ratchet's odd behavior, to the bandage on her wrist.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, gently taking her wrist in his hands.  
  
"Oh." Ratchet laid her head on Haldir's stomach and stared rather dully at the wound. "It was cut by a knife." she answered. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. She hadn't intended to go to sleep, but it happened anyway.  
  
The elf smiled ever so slightly as he heard her breathing even out. He sat and watched her sleep for a good while when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli entered.  
  
Legolas smiled tenderly at her. "It is good to see her sleep peacefully." Legolas sighed and looked back up to Haldir. "I hope I do not wake her when I move her back to her room." and the elf moved to pick her up.  
  
"No. Let her sleep here." Legolas was shocked to hear the marchwarden say this, but honored his request.  
  
"May I ask why you have such a request?" Aragorn asked suggestively.  
  
"Certainly for not the reasons that you are thinking of!" Haldir snapped.  
  
The three comrades chuckled at the elf's expense. But Aragorn sobered up suddenly and stared at Haldir's wounded side with a slight frown.  
  
"How is it that you survived?" Gimli and Legolas quieted to better hear Haldir's reply. "I saw the orc stab you and watched as you fell. How is it that you are still alive?"  
  
The marchwarden sighed heavily and watched Ratchet sleep with a thoughtful look.  
  
"I have often thought of that myself." he finally said. "And yet, I can only come up with a guess at what happened. Sit." He motioned to some chairs situated at a small table over to the side of the room. The elf, man, and dwarf dragged chairs over and sat, ready to hear Haldir's tale.  
  
"I remember the sword hitting me and everything going momentarily blurry. Pain washed over me as I slowly fell. The sounds and sights of battle were fading, and gradually I lost all sense completely and found myself in darkness." Haldir reached over to the bedstand and grabbed a glass of water. He took a couple drinks before continuing. "I suddenly found myself in a great hall lit only with a few torches set in the wall at intervals. I decided to walk down this hall, for it could only have been the Halls of Mandos."  
  
Legolas sucked in a quick breath.  
  
"I saw a few elves dallying in the halls, undoubtably waiting for family or lovers before entering. It seemed that I walked down that hall for ages before I finally caught sight of giant double doors that were open. Beyond them, I only saw a beautiful light that had no color. And yet it was all the colors of the world at the same time. As I approached the door, someone came out of the doors and halted my progress. He slowly shook his head and gave me a wistful smile. 'You cannot enter.' he told me. 'Why?' I asked him. 'Because you are being called back.' he answered."  
  
"Called back? How can one be called back from death?" Gimli interrupted.  
  
"Shush, and you may find out." Aragorn told the sceptical dwarf.  
  
"I started at this reply, and I asked him the very same question that you asked me, Master Dwarf. 'Iluvatar made only one thing stronger than himself and the Valar.' he answered. I was quite surprised and asked him what it was. He shook his head at me and answered, 'You shall have to find out for yourself. There is no time to explain.' And I felt that he was right, for I felt an inexplainable pull back from where I came. The elf went back and stood in front of the door and spoke to me for one last time. 'Saesa omentien lle, Haldir o Lorien. May it be a long time before next we meet, if at all.'" (Pleasure meeting you, Haldir of Lorien)  
  
Haldir took another drink of water before continuing.  
  
"The elf disappeared into the light and the doors slowly closed. I did the only thing I could do. I turned and walked back. After what seemed like ages again, I saw what seemed to me, to be a giant sun painted on a stone wall. I felt the urge to touch it, and could hear a faint crying and pleading coming from the painting. The Halls disappeared, and suddenly I could feel a great pain in my side. I involuntarily groaned and I heard men come and turn me over on my back. They inspected my wound and brought me here. You three know what happens after that."  
  
Silence reigned for seconds. Then seconds drifted into minutes.  
  
"A sun, you say?" Legolas broke the silence.  
  
Haldir nodded and Legolas let his gaze rest on Ratchet. "The Lady of the Wood gave Ratchet a sun pendant as her gift." the Mirkwood elf thought aloud. "Could that have something to do with it?"  
  
Haldir sighed and also turned his eyes to the sleeping teen. "I do not see it. I think it only a coincidence. I admit that she is strong in spirit most times, even after what happened. But I highly doubt that she could do such a thing."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure." Legolas argued. "The way she was affected by your 'death' attests for that. Did she tell you how her wrist was injured?"  
  
"She said it was cut by a knife, but would say no more." Haldir wondered where this was going.  
  
"Yes. Her very own knife, in fact." Aragorn said. "She slit her own wrist, Haldir. She deemed that life wasn't worth living anymore, so decided to end it. Possibly also in hopes of meeting Boromir."  
  
"She....what?" Haldir asked uncertainly.  
  
"Ratchet tried to kill herself. Legolas found her, bleeding in a corner. She tried to commit suicide." Aragorn stated.  
  
Haldir reached out and started stroking her hair slowly. "So young.... Yet so sad....." he murmured. He shook his head, but his hand never left her. "Even if it was her, how did she do it?" he asked.  
  
Everyone was silent in thought.  
  
"Hope...." Legolas whispered. "On the back of her pendant, in older form of elvish is written 'estel'. Could that be it?" the elf asked.  
  
"We can only guess." Gimli said.  
  
The three companions sat for a while, deep in thought. They would have stayed there most of the day if a soldier hadn't informed them that King Theoden wished to speak with them. They said good-bye to Haldir and promised to inform him of the happenings later.  
  
Haldir sat up for a while, thinking on what had been said and other things. But soon he laid under the covers and went into the elvish version of sleep.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ratchet woke up in an unfamiliar bed. She blinked and looked around sleepily. The room was lit by only a few candles and the drapes were drawn over the one window in the room.  
  
After seeing that nothing was wrong, she wondered what had prompted her to wake up. Ratchet was still very tired, but could feel a nagging in the back of her mind that had woken her. She carefully got off the bed so as not to wake Haldir and slipped out of the room.  
  
The hall was dark, only a few torches were lit and put in sconces.  
  
Ratchet walked quietly through the halls and to the outside. The stars were bright and a crescent moon was high in the sky. She wound her way around the few sleeping forms that had decided to sleep outside and found herself on the part of the wall that hadn't been blown to bits.  
  
She sighed and looked over the ashes of the burnt orcs and the seperate mounds of dead elves and men.  
  
"So many dead...." she whispered to herself. "How many of them had family waiting for them?"  
  
"So lately, been wondering  
  
Who will be there to take my place  
  
When i'm gone you'll need love  
  
To light the shadows on your face  
  
If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all  
  
Then between the sand and stone  
  
Could you make it on your own?"  
  
It was all so horrible. So many were dead that deserved to live. And yet many people who deserved death were alive. Ratchet was grateful to whatever powers that had brought Haldir back to life. He definitely deserved life over death.  
  
"If I could, then I would  
  
I'd go wherever you will go  
  
Way up high or down low  
  
I'll go wherever you will go  
  
And maybe, i'll find out  
  
A way to make it back someday  
  
To watch you, to guide you  
  
Through the darkest of your days  
  
If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all  
  
Then I hope there's someone out there  
  
Who can bring me back to you  
  
If I could, then I would  
  
I'd go wherever you will go  
  
Way up high or down low  
  
I'll go wherever you will go  
  
Run away with my heart  
  
Run away with my hope  
  
Run away with my love  
  
I know now, just quite how  
  
My life and love might still go on  
  
In your heart, in your mind  
  
I'll stay with you for all of time  
  
If I could, then I would  
  
I'd go wherever you will go  
  
Way up high or down low  
  
I'll go wherever you will go  
  
If I could turn back time  
  
I'll go wherever you will go  
  
If I could make you mine  
  
I'll go wherever you will go  
  
I'll go wherever you will go."  
  
'I wish I could be with Boromir now' she thought to herself.  
  
"That was beautiful."  
  
Ratchet slowly turned around and saw Haldir standing behind her. He had somehow managed to get out of bed and put on some boots and had evidently followed her.  
  
"Haldir!" Ratchet whispered hoarsly. "You shouldn't be out of bed! You crazy elf!"  
  
"Neither should you." Haldir replied. He walked over to where she was sitting and stiffly joined her on the wall. "After a battle like that, you should be sleeping so deeply that you would be thought dead." he joked.  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny." Ratchet looked at Haldir's injured side and checked for any signs that something was wrong. When she was pretty sure it was fine, she looked back up to the stars. "Something woke me up. I just can't get back to sleep."  
  
"Really?" She could hear the silent question in his voice.  
  
"I don't know what, though." Ratchet stood up and started to pace. She was feeling restless now, and very unsettled.  
  
"Are you sure?" Haldir asked.  
  
"Positive. One minute i'm sleeping. The next, i'm wide awake I feel like I could fight another battle. I don't know what the hell is goin' on."  
  
"Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy." Haldir said. "Try to relax, and maybe you'll be able to go back to sleep."  
  
"That's the problem. I can't relax. I feel like something's gonna happen. Something bad."  
  
The words seemed to bring what was coming, and Ratchet felt that sickeningly familiar pulling feeling.  
  
The heat was worse than unbearable. It was so intense, that you could actually see flickers of it in the air.  
  
~Sooooo. You have beaten the orc army of the White Wizard.~ the voice was unnaturally calm.  
  
"Neener neener neener." Ratchet taunted. "And your ass is next Mister Dark Lord."  
  
It felt like a giant hand had wrapped itself around her neck. It started to slowly choke her.  
  
~NEVER taunt ME little girl. You shall get yours soon enough. Soon enough you all shall get what you deserve.~ the Eye grated in her brain.  
  
"Don't hold your breath." Ratchet choked out. "If anyone's going down, it's you." The invisible hand tightened painfully and all the breath left her body.  
  
~We shall see..... We shall see.....~ The invisible hand squeezed even tighter and Ratchet blacked out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: You didn't think I was gonna kill off Haldir, did you???? How could I kill off the second hottest elf in the whole LOTR series?! I'm not THAT evil. And Boromir? Well..... let's just say he's hangin' around.... ::grins:: you'll have to wait a little while.  
  
Pinky: The song was The Calling Wherever You Will Go (as if you didn't know....). 


	19. Choosing And Rapping With The Best Of Th...

Faulkner: Read this chapter slowly, because it'll be the only knew one in a while.  
  
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Ratchet was lost in a sea of peaceful darkness. She liked the darkness. The dark was her only true friend. It concealed her from others and kept her company. Darkness was the thing that hid her deepest secrets. The ones that she tried to not even think about.  
  
She could hear someone calling her by her real name. It was faint, and she tried to follow the sound to its source. But to no avail.  
  
It was as if her limbs were lead and glued to her body. She couldn't move, and the voice became even fainter now.  
  
"Stop! Wait!" Ratchet yelled. The voice kept getting even farther away.  
  
"STOP!" Ratchet screamed with all her might.  
  
The voice disappeared altogether, and Ratchet felt like she had just lost something dear to her. She struggled against whatever was holding her back.  
  
Another voice, a lot nearer than the first, whispered softly in her ear. This one she couldn't understand at all, even though it was so near. She struggled to turn around to see who it was, but still couldn't move.  
  
Ratchet let out a yell of frustration and tried to thrash, for all the good it did her.  
  
Then the voice that had been whispering earlier came back, but it was right next to her other ear.  
  
"Choose." a deep voice said from all around her.  
  
"What?! What do you mean?!" Ratchet yelled.  
  
The voices didn't cease to whisper in her ears. The first one whispered her given name in a deep husky voice. The second one whispered beautiful nonsense in a silky voice. Both were so familiar, yet so distant.  
  
"Choose." the third, deep voice boomed in the darkness.  
  
"Choose what?!" Ratchet cried out. "What do you want me to choose?!"  
  
"You must have one or the other. Not both, never both." the voice answered.  
  
"What must I choose between?!" she screamed again.  
  
Suddenly, life came surging back into her limbs and she whirled around, facing the bodies that the two voices belonged to.  
  
Though their faces were in shadows, she could tell who they were by their clothes and build.  
  
"Boromir, Haldir!" she whispered. She wanted to run and hug them, but something stopped her. "Choose? Why must I choose? What are you talking about?!"  
  
"You must have one or the other. Not both, never both." it repeated.  
  
"You're making me choose between Boromir and Haldir?! But....WHY??" she cried out in agony. Why did she need to choose, and for what purpose?  
  
"You cannot have them both. It is impossible. Choose."  
  
"I can't! You can't make me choose between them! I don't even know why you want me to choose!"  
  
"Ratchet...."  
  
"Come to me Ratchet..."  
  
They were both pleading with her now. Both asking her to come to them.  
  
How could she choose, and why did she need to?! Boromir loved her, and Haldir had helped her get past some of her grief when Boromir died. How and why must she choose?  
  
"Ratchet...."  
  
"Come....."  
  
"Choose."  
  
"Please, come to me....."  
  
"Ratchet, love...."  
  
"Not both, never both."  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"Please!"  
  
The voices got louder and never ceased. They didn't allow her to think. She screamed, and didn't even hear that. Ratchet covered her ears and shut her eyes. They didn't go away, but instead walked over and put their hands on her arms.  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"Come love!"  
  
"Please Ratchet!"  
  
"Come to me!"  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"Ratchet!"  
  
"RATCHET!"  
  
Ratchet jerked awake and screamed again. The hands didn't leave her arms, and she struggled to make them leave her.  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed.  
  
"Ratchet! Calm down!"  
  
The voice strangely made her still her frantic movements and lay still. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see anything.  
  
"She is calm now, you can leave." the same voice said.  
  
Ratchet opened her eyes to see that the room was occupied by herself in a bed, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, two healers, the girl that had bandaged her wrist, Haldir's brothers, and even the king himself! But why were they all in her room?  
  
The blond woman that had bandaged her wrist came over to her bedside and reached out to touch Ratchet's forehead. Ratchet jerked out of reach and glared at the woman.  
  
"It is all right Ratchet. Lady Eowyn is only trying to make sure you are all right." Aragorn soothed.  
  
"I'm fine. I don't need someone to tell me i'm healthy." Ratchet growled. Eowyn fidgeted under Ratchet's gaze, but didn't look away.  
  
"Still -" Aragorn pressed.  
  
"I'm fine." Ratchet said more firmly. "It was just a nightmare. I'll be fine."  
  
Aragorn sighed, and started speaking with Eowyn and the king. Ratchet didn't pay any attention, but thought back to the nightmare. It had deeply shaken her, and she was still confused at why she had to supposedly 'choose'.  
  
And why had she to choose between Boromir and Haldir? It was absurd!  
  
'Get a grip, you dumbass!' she scolded herself. 'It was only a freaky dream. Dreams aren't supposed to mean anything, or make sense! It was just something my wacko mind came up with!'  
  
Ratchet noticed that it was now quiet in the room, and looked up. The king, Eowyn, and the healers had left. Haldir's two brothers stared at her for a long while before also leaving.  
  
"What was so horrible in your dreams that made you scream lass?" Gimli finally asked.  
  
"Nothing. I don't remember that much. Just little flashes of color." Ratchet lied.  
  
"Why did you faint last night?" Aragorn asked. "You're lucky Haldir was there to catch you before you fell off the wall. Even though he shouldn't have been up at all." and he glared at her.  
  
"Don't be glaring at me! I didn ask for him to get up. I tried to tell him to get back to bed, but he wouldn't have it. He's such a stubborn Elf." she replied.  
  
"Reminds me of a certain Fellowship member...." Legolas trailed off. Then smirked as Ratchet glared at him. "You can't deny that you are more stubborn than a mule."  
  
"And proud of it, Elfy."  
  
They all had a little laugh over that one. Then Aragorn became thoughtful, and studied Ratchet closely.  
  
"You did not answer my question." he said.  
  
Ratchet groaned and slowly got out of bed. "And you won't get an answer until I find out how that nutty Elf is doing. If I find out that he has made his wound worse because of me, i'll give him something that will DEFINITELY keep him in bed, no doubt about that!"  
  
Then she got up and went over to the door, intent on finding out how Haldir was.  
  
"There is no need to see him. He is fine, if not a little tired from his exertions." Legolas said.  
  
"I think i'll see that for myself, thanks." She looked up and down the hallway. Then back to her companions. "Where is his room, anyway?" she asked.  
  
"Down the hall, fifth door on the left." Aragorn pointed.  
  
Ratchet waved and counted the doors as she passed them. When she reached the fifth one on the left, she knocked.  
  
"Enter." called an unfamiliar voice.  
  
Ratchet went inside and saw one of the healers just closing the fresh bandage on Haldir's side.  
  
"Ah, you again. While you're here, I might as well get a look at your wrist."  
  
He walked over to her and removed the heavy bandage from heer wrist. After examining the cut carefully, he asked her to rotate her wrist slowly. She did so, and watched as the scab stretched, but did not break.  
  
"Good, good. I think we can keep bandages off it now. The wound is closing nicely, and needs some air."  
  
"How is Haldir?" she asked him.  
  
He looked behind him at the sleeping elf.  
  
"He is in worse shape than that nick you got. But he will get better in time. Even with those elvish tricks that they got, it will take a while." he explained with a sigh. "And make sure he doesn't get out of bed again!" he scolded. "It does him no good to go gallavanting around with that kind of wound."  
  
Ratchet nodded and watched as the healer left. She then grabbed a chair and set it next to the bed. She turned it around and sat in it backwards so that her arms rested on the backrest.  
  
Ratchet sighed and watched Haldir sleep.  
  
"What the hell was that dream about." she murmured to herself. "It feels like it was important, but why?"  
  
Ratchet watched Haldir sleep, trying to sort out what the dream was about and occaisonally muttering to herself. After doing this for the longest time, she sighed and gave up. 'It's no use.' she thought. 'The dream means absolutely nothing as far as I know.'  
  
She rested her head on her arms for a few seconds. Then got up to leave, when a voice stopped her.  
  
"How long have you been here?" Haldir asked.  
  
Ratchet turned around and watched as he slowly got into a sitting position.  
  
"I dunno. A little while I guess." she answered after a minute.  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"Thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Stuff."  
  
Haldir, seeing he would get nowhere like this, switched tactics.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
"Pretty good. I don't have to wear bandages on my wrist anymore. And that reminds me. You are one dumb elf. Getting up like that when you had nearly died from your wound. If you weren't already hurt, I would hurt you."  
  
Haldir sighed at the scolding and shook his head.  
  
"You are lucky I was there. You could have fallen off the wall and died. And if you didn't fall, then it would have been a long time before somone found you." he said.  
  
"True. But you didn't somehow know I was going to fall, you just decided to follow me. So that overrides what you did." Ratchet argued. "And if I find you out of bed, or hear that you were out of bed without the healers consent, I will personally break both your legs. You can count on that."  
  
There was a few moments silence. Then....  
  
"You have a beautiful voice." Haldir complemented.  
  
"You only say that because you haven't heard it the way it should be sung. I would let you listen to the way it's supposed to sound, but I haven't the foggiest where my pack is."  
  
"Do you know any happy songs?"  
  
"Uhhh.... Wow, that came out of nowhere. Yeah, 'course I do. Why do you ask that?"  
  
"Because. All the songs that have come from your lips have been tainted with sadness. Occaisonally even bitterness. Why is that?"  
  
Ratchet walked slowly over to the chair and sat back down.  
  
"Because there rarely is any true happiness where I come from. Singers only sing about what they know, or wish they could know about." She suddenly laughed as a thought struck her. "If you think the songs that I have sung are sad and bitter, you should hear some rap songs that I know."  
  
"Sing me one." he said.  
  
Ratchet blanched and stared at Haldir. She cleared her throat and looked around nervously.  
  
"Well, all right. Here it goes."  
  
She started to rock her head slightly and tapped her foot quietly to some beat that Haldir couldn't hear.  
  
"Uh yeah, anutha one of those  
  
This is for my nigga Q  
  
Down to earth joint (rest in piece baby)  
  
There's so many that don't know  
  
They don't don't know (this goes out ot my nigga Q)  
  
Who we be (rest in piece baby)  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
What they don't know is  
  
The bullshit/ The drama/ The guns/ The armor/ The city/ The farmer/ The babies/ The mama/ The projects The drugs/ The children/ The thugs/ The tears/ The hugs/ The love/ The slugs/ The funerals/ The wakes The churches/ The coffins  
  
The heart broken mothers  
  
It happens/ Too often/ The problems/ The things/ We used to solve them/ Yonkers/ The Bronx/ Brooklyn Harlem/ The hurt/ The pain/ The dirt/ The rain/ The jerk/ The fame/ The work/ The game/ The friends The foes/ The Benz/ The hoes  
  
The studios to shows  
  
Comes and it goes  
  
The jealousy/ The envy/ The phony/ The friendly/ The one that gave me slugs/ The one that put em in me The snakes/ The grass/ Too long/ To see/ The lawnmower/ Sittin'/ Right next/ To the tree  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
What we seein' is/ The streets/ The cops/ The system/ Harassment/ The options/ Get shot/ Go to jail Or get ya ass kicked/ The lawyers/ The part/ They are/ Of the puzzle/ The release/ The warning/ Try not to get in trouble/ The snitches/ The eyes/ Probabtion/ Parole/ The new charge/ The bail/ The warrant/ The hole/ The cell/ The bus/ The ride/ Up north/ The greens/ The boots/ The yard/ You caught/ The fightin'/ The stabbin'/ The pullin'/ The grabbin'/ The wire that squired the captain Nobody knows what happened/ For 2 years in a box/ Revenge/ The plots/ The 23 hours that's locked The 1 hour that's not/ The silence/ The dark/ The mind/ So fragile/ The wish/ That the streets Would've took you/ When they had you/ The days/ The months/ The years/ Despair/ One night/ On my knees/ Here it comes/ The prayer  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
This here is all about/ My wife/ My kids/ The life/ That I live/ Through the night/ I was his/ It was right What I did/ My ups/ And downs/ My slips/ My falls/ My trials and tribulations/ My heart/ My balls/ My mother/ My father/ I love em/ I hate em/ Wish God/ I didn't have em/ But i'm glad/ That he made em The roaches/ The rats/ The strays/ The cats/ The guns, knives, and bats/ Everytime we scrap/ The hustlin' The dealin'/ The robbin'/ The stealin'/ This shit/ Hit the ceiling/ Little boy/ Wit no feelins/ The frustration Rage/ Trapped inside a cage/ The beatins till they age/ Of carryin a 12 gauge/ Somebody stop me Somebody come and get me/ Little did I know/ That the Lord/ Was ridin wit me/ The dark/ The light/ My heart/ The fight/ The wrong/ The right/ It's done/ Alright!?  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
They don't know  
  
Who we be  
  
DMX talkin  
  
Man listen  
  
These muthafuckas don't know  
  
Who we are  
  
They don't know  
  
They couldn't possibly fuckin' know dog  
  
That's from the heart."  
  
Silence reigned again for a few minutes.  
  
"You were right. That was very sad and bitter." Haldir finally said.  
  
"Yep. He's a black man that went through hell and back.He grew up in a time where blacks were scorned and treated horribly." Seeing his blank look, she elaborated slightly. "Blacks are a race of humans that have different color skin. Most people hated them because they thought they were evil and inferior. God, those people were so stupid back then. Not to mention ignorant. They had been put into slavery because of this, and have only been freed in the past....." Ratchet did a little mental math. "thousand years? I dunno."  
  
"You must tell me more abut this sometime."  
  
"Maybe I will. Now, rest up."  
  
Haldir obediantly laid back down and made himself comfortable before getting that vacant look that signalled he was asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: My next update is going to be a while from now because of my moving to Kentucky. Savor this chapter, because it'll be the only new one you'll see in a while. And that little rap number was from DMX, Who We Be. 


	20. ME? SICK? Preposterous!

Faulkner: Thank you for your patience (or lack thereof) for this chappie!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Eh..... Eh..... Ah-CHOOO!"  
  
Ratchet's head came forward at the force of this latest sneeze. She shook her head as if to make the sneezes go away and sniffed.  
  
"That is the fifth sneeze you've had this morning. Admit it, you are sick." Haldir said from beside her.  
  
"I'm NOT SICK. It's just all this dust that's making my nose feel all funky." Ratchet explained. But her symptoms were saying otherwise.  
  
Her throat had been dry and now her voice sounded like some sort of toad. Everything ached and her skin was overly sensitive to heat and cold. It was so bad that she had to walk around in a cloak to feel a constant comfortable temperature.  
  
"It's not just your sneezing. Your voice sounds like some orc in it's death throes, and it's not cold enough to walk around in a cloak." Haldir insisted. "You are SICK."  
  
"Oh, shut up. What would you know about being sick? Besides, even if I was sick - which i'm not - I could tough it out. What's a cold compared to some of these guys who probably need something cut off?" she retorted.  
  
Even though Ratchet would never admit it, she WAS sick. And the march back to Lorien wasn't helping her either. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, King Theoden, much of the more stronger survivors of Helms Deep, and surprisingly Gandalf, all went to Isengard. Ratchet had only understood that they were going there to check on some wizard named Saruman (the same guy who had sent the orc army) and see if he would surrender.  
  
Haldir's condition had improved and he was, also surprisingly, able to march back to the Golden Wood the next day with the rest of his Elven army. Provided of course, that he was on a horse that the Rohirrim let him borrow. Ratchet had been overruled by at least twenty to follow the army back to Lothlorien to recuperate properly, even though she hadn't suffered anything except minor scrapes and bruises. Not counting the cut on her wrist.  
  
But apparently, Ratchet had caught a cold from fighting out in the rain. And was miserable because of it. And marching next to Haldir's horse hadn't improved her mood much. He had continually noticed her condition and pestered her about it.  
  
"At least take something for your sneeze." he continued.  
  
"Shut UP! I am FINE, OK? FINE FINE FINE, FINE!" she yelled up at him. "Now stop badgering me about it and let me trudge in PEACE!"  
  
Ratchet 'humphed' and pulled the borrowed cloak tighter around her. She started grumbling and kicked every rock that got in her way.  
  
Except for the really big ones.  
  
"Why couldn't I have gone with the others? At least they would be too busy to pester me about a little sneeze and sore throat. But noooooooooooo. I have to be with Haldir, the worrier, who is probably going to force some kind of crap down my throat. Ugh, I HATE cold medicine. Complete and utter nastiness." Ratchet ranted to herself.  
  
Haldir sighed at the stubborness of mortals.  
  
'She is just as stubborn as any male. It will get her into trouble one day, if it hasn't already.' Haldir thought to himself.  
  
His attention returned to Ratchet as he heard an odd sound. She pulled some circular object from her strange pack with a string running to a bent object with two circles at the end. He watched as she closed the strange pack and returned it to her back.  
  
"What is that?" Haldir asked and pointed to the bizzare object.  
  
"What's what?" Ratchet asked.  
  
"That thing in your hands."  
  
Ratchet looked at the object dumbly, then up at Haldir. "It's a CD player. It plays music." she answered.  
  
"What is a CD?" he asked.  
  
The top of her CD player popped up and she pulled out a round slim object. "This is a CD. The music is recorded on this, and the CD player plays that music through these." and she held up the bent material with the two circles at the end. "These are headphones. You put these over your ears and music comes out of them. You can even adjust the volume of the music with this little switch." and she pointed to a little knob on the side of the CD player.  
  
Ratchet put the CD back in the CD player and looked up at Haldir. Then back down at her CD player. She got a wicked look in her eye and grinned at Haldir.  
  
"Maybe you could try it?" she suggested.  
  
"What?" Haldir looked at the device in Ratchet's hands. "Is it dangerous?"  
  
"Only if you throw it at somebody." Ratchet replied. "It can't do anything to hurt you of its own will. It's perfectly harmless."  
  
Haldir studied the object again before hesitantly agreeing. He bent over so Ratchet could reach him and she put the headphones over his ears.  
  
"Tell me if you need the volume lowered or raised." she told him before she pressed 'play'.  
  
"It starts with  
  
One thing/ I don't know why  
  
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme  
  
To explain in due time  
  
All I know  
  
Time is a valuable thing  
  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
  
The clock ticks life away  
  
It's so unreal  
  
Didn't look out below  
  
Watch the time go right out the window  
  
Trying to hold/ But didn't even know  
  
Wasted it all just to  
  
Watch you go  
  
I kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart  
  
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
One thing/ I don't know why  
  
Doesn't even matter how hard you try  
  
Keep that in mind/ I designed this rhyme  
  
To remind myself how  
  
I tried so hard  
  
In spite of the way you were mocking me  
  
Acting like I was part of your property  
  
Remembering all the times you fought with me/ I'm surprised  
  
It got so (far)  
  
Things aren't the way they were before  
  
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
  
Not that you knew me back then  
  
But it all comes back to me  
  
In the end  
  
You kept everything inside and even though I tried/ It all fell apart  
  
What it meant to me/ Will eventually/ Be a memory/ Of a time when I  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know....  
  
I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know....  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter......"  
  
Haldir silently took off the headphones and handed them over to Ratchet. Ratchet grinned up at him and put the headphones on.  
  
"What did you think?" she asked him.  
  
"It is an interesting device." Haldir answered.  
  
"You Elves need to lighten up a bit. I swear, you people never have any fun."  
  
When they stopped for the night, Haldir had to let his wound be checked over by one of his brothers. It was declared that his wound was nearly completely healed. He thanked his brother and went to check on Ratchet.  
  
She was sitting on a large rock, her cloak pulled around her. Ratchet was staring off into space, her head on her knees.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Haldir asked her.  
  
"Fine." she answered in her hoarse voice.  
  
"You don't sound fine. You are sick, whether you admit it or not."  
  
Ratchet sighed and gave Haldir what she hoped was a withering glare.  
  
"So i've got the sneezes and my voice sounds funky? Who gives a care? I'll be better in a few days."  
  
"I'd feel better knowing you took something for it." Haldir pressed.  
  
"Stop pestering me about it. I'll be fine. It's just a simple cold. You're acting like it could get worse and kill me. Newsflash Haldir! I'm gonna live through this little cold without any nasty medicine and gonna try to relax while i'm in Lorien. End of discussion."  
  
Ratchet got up and got her share of lembas from an Elf who was passing it out. Then she sat back down as far away from the Elves as she dared to go. After eating her share, she used her pack as a pillow and curled up into a ball.  
  
Haldir sighed and ate his portion of lembas. He settled himself against a boulder and relaxed as best he could. He silently wondered to himself why he couldn't have taken a shift at watch as he drifted into the open-eyed- not-quite-sleep of the Elves.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A low moaning pulled Haldir from his dreamless sleep. He sat up straighter and scanned the area for any threats. The moaning came again and he followed the sound to it's source.  
  
Ratchet.  
  
He stiffly got up and walked silently across camp to the human. He knelt beside her and watched as her face belied the internal struggle of her dreams.  
  
"Ratchet." he called softly and gently shook her. She moaned again and got a pitifully helpless look.  
  
"Ratchet." he called again, shaking her a little bit harder.  
  
"No....Lemme alone..... I don't want to choose!" she spoke helplessly in her dreams.  
  
Haldir furrowed his brows and shook even harder.  
  
With a gasp her eyes opened and sat up straight. But she was unsteady, and fell into Haldir, who caught her.  
  
Ratchet stayed like that, gasping for breath. She had her eyes closed and clung to Haldir like he was the only thing that kept her alive. He did his best to help calm her by rubbing her back soothingly and gently rocking her.  
  
Between her tightly closed eyes one lone tear slipped between her eyelids.  
  
"I don't want to choose." she whispered. "He can't make me choose now that I know why."  
  
"Choose what?" Haldir asked quietly.  
  
"Don't make me choose Haldir. I don't want to choose." she very nearly whimpered.  
  
Haldir thought that asking questions wouldn't get anywhere in the state that she was. So he only tried to settle her down.  
  
"Shhhh. It's all right. You don't have to choose." he whispered to her. She visibly relaxed in his arms and briefly gripped him tighter in thanks.  
  
He stopped rubbing her back, but continued to rock back and forth. Eventually her breathing evened out and her form became heavier, signalling that she was asleep.  
  
He tried to lay her back down on the ground, but whenever he pulled her away from him, she got a deathgrip on him and whimpered ever so slightly. Finally, he decided to just sleep with her in his arms. He wasn't so heartless to wake her up when she had just found a peaceful sleep.  
  
He carried her over to the boulder he had been resting against and settled himself against it again. Ratchet sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to Haldir unconciously. The Elf stiffened at this unconcious show of affection.  
  
But he soon relaxed and went back to the Elvish equivalent of sleep.  
  
But across the camp two eyes so much like Haldir's and a pair of blond heads watched the goings on.  
  
The two Elves grinned at each other, and one murmured to his companion, Isn't it amazing what love can do? Even to one such as our brother?  
  
Yes, quite amazing brother. Though I wonder what shall happen, hmmm? How will this story turn out? the other murmured back.  
  
If we watch closely, we shall find out. the first said. Then they were both silent.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: Who are the not-so-mysterious Elves in the night? Does Ratchet really not have to choose? And will poor Haldir be teased on the rest of the march to Lothlorien? Not even I know yet! Please review!!  
  
Pinky: That song was In The End by Linkin' Park. 


	21. Homecoming

Faulkner: I know i've been an ass by taking such a long time with this chapter, BUT I FINALLY SAW THE MATRIX RELOADED!! 100 AGENT SMITHS!! FREAKY TWINS!! Keanu Reeves has a nice ass.  
  
Pinky: MASTER!  
  
Faulkner: Did I say that outloud? Ooops. Read and enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When Ratchet awoke, she was surprised to find herself in a different spot than from where she had originally fallen asleep. She looked around and found that the rest of camp was already awake and just finishing their ration of lembas.  
  
Haldir came over to her and handed her a wafer of the stuff.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
"Still a bit tired, but fine." she answered, taking the wafer and starting to munch on it.  
  
Haldir nodded and called out orders in Elvish to his troops. "Come. We are leaving." he said to her before heading over to the horse that was lent to him. Ratchet just nodded to no one and grabbed her backpack from where she left it the night before. It, at least, hadn't moved.  
  
The days march was the same as the day before's. It was quite dull, and Ratchet resorted to using her CD player again. 'The batteries'll run out anyway. Might as well use it as much as possible' she reasoned with herself.  
  
The calming music flowed out of the earphones and into her ears. Ratchet turned up the music until it was loud enough for the Elves to hear clearly.  
  
"Love is tragic  
  
Love is bold  
  
You will always  
  
Do what you are told  
  
Love is hard  
  
Love is strong  
  
You will never say that you were wrong  
  
I don't know when I got bitter  
  
Love is surely better when it's gone  
  
'Cause you wanted more  
  
More than I could give  
  
More than I could handle  
  
In a life that I can't live  
  
You wanted more  
  
More than I could bear  
  
More than I could offer  
  
For a love that isn't there  
  
Love is color  
  
Love is loud  
  
Love is never saying you're too proud  
  
Love is trusting  
  
Love is honest  
  
Love is not a hand that holds you down  
  
I don't know when I got bitter  
  
Love is surely better when it's gone  
  
'Cause you wanted more  
  
More than I could give  
  
More than I could handle  
  
In a life that I can't live  
  
You wanted more  
  
More than I could bear  
  
More than I could offer  
  
For a love that isn't there  
  
I got to pick me up when I am down  
  
I got to get my feet back on the ground  
  
I got to pick me up when I am down  
  
I don't know when I got bitter  
  
Love is surely better when it's gone  
  
'Cause you wanted more  
  
More than I could give  
  
More than I could handle  
  
In a life that I can't live  
  
You wanted more  
  
More than I could bear  
  
More than I could offer  
  
For a love that isn't there  
  
You wanted more  
  
More than I could love  
  
More than I could offer  
  
The harder you would shove  
  
You wanted more  
  
More than I could give  
  
More than I could handle  
  
In a life that I can't live."  
  
After that song, all the others were mostly rock and pop rock. Ratchet always kept the volume high and annoyed the heck out of the Elves when Crawling by Linkin Park was played. Especially since she hummed along to the song slightly off key, in her toad-like voice.  
  
But she couldn't hear herself, so she didn't know.  
  
The rest of the five day march to the Golden Wood became routine.  
  
Every morning the small host of Elves and one woman would wake and eat their ration of lembas. Then they would march along at an easy pace until noon. They would then stop for a break and another lembas wafer. After about fifteen minutes, they would get up and march until an hour or so after nightfall and sleep for the rest of the night.  
  
Haldir had been declared healed after the second day of marching and had reverted to walking along with his troop. The horse was turned into a pack animal and carried most of the rations and packs that had been brought along.  
  
But one thing besides Ratchet's music that bugged him was her nightmares.  
  
She had them every night only minutes after she had fallen asleep. And only minutes after the nightmare started, Haldir would come and comfort her. Once she got a hold of him, she wouldn't let go until early in the morning.  
  
It soon became a ritual to the Marchwarden. And little did he know that two Elves so much like him watched this with growing interest.  
  
And so the days and nights passed and they soon came upon the border of Lothlorien.  
  
They were welcomed as heroes and praised for their bravery as they passed by Elves. And when they reached the city, it was announced that their would be a feast held in their honor in two days time.  
  
Ratchet, Haldir, and a few other Elves were presented to the Lord and Lady in the throne room and listened to their formal thanks and all the royal pleasantry crap. Ratchet pretty much just zoned out and acted like she was paying attention.  
  
She was lucky that no one talked to her during the whole ceremony. If they had, they wouldn't have gotten an answer.  
  
After all the formality stuff was over, Ratchet was led to the healing ward.  
  
"The Marchwarden informed us that you have had a sickness on the way back." a healer approached Ratchet and said.  
  
"Yeah." She silently cursed Haldir and his interfereing. "But i'm fine. It went away a few days before we got here."  
  
"Be that as it may, I would like to check you over just in case. Can't be too careful." and Ratchet had to let the healer give her a check up and make sure nothing was wrong.  
  
The healer stood back after that and looked Ratchet over one last time before nodding to himself. "You are well. Though I am curious about the scar over your wrist. W-"  
  
"An orc caught me off guard. Simple mistake, that won't happen again since it is dead and I have learned my lesson." Ratchet quickly lied. She had always been good about making up lies on the spot. Teachers always needed some kind of excuse to not put you in detention for not doing your homework.  
  
The healer looked like he was going to say something about it, but changed his mind. Instead he said, "I will have someone show you to a room where you can rest. Quel re, my lady." The healer bowed and almost instantly a maid had replaced him and showed her to a small flet closer to the royal ones.  
  
(AN: What DO people call Celeborn's and Galadriels talan? It isn't exactly a palace or a talan.)  
  
"Peace at last." Ratchet sighed and fell onto her bed. Her things were on a small table a few feet away. "Sleep time..." she mumbled before doing just that, without bothering to change from her traveling clothes.  
  
~*Two Days Later....*~  
  
Ratchet scrubbed at her face quickly and took another sip from the wine goblet in her hands. She wished fervently for some caffeine, but knew that they didn't have any coffee, coke, or the kind of tea that was rich with the stuff.  
  
"You haven't been sleeping?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
"I'll be fine Haldir. Stop worrying so much." Ratchet told him.  
  
"When you are not sleeping, there is a reason to worry." he replied.  
  
The two watched form the secluded corner as Elves danced and chattered amongst themselves. It was such a happy occaison, but also a sad one. All the Elves that had died would always be remembered and their memories cherished. Ratchet was stricken when she had found out that the two Elves that had particularly like her singing were with the ones that had traveled to Mandos.  
  
"It's just all the events of late. It happens sometimes." Ratchet took another sip of wine and continued to watch the gracefully dancing Elves. "I'll get back up to par soon. I'll need to be at full strength for the upcoming fight." Ratchet suddenly turned to face Haldir and looked him in the eye. "Did they tell you i'm leaving five days from now?"  
  
Haldir didn't need to ask who the 'they' were.  
  
"Yes." he said reluctantly. "I wish you would stay a little longer to regain your strength."  
  
"I can't. I've felt this battle coming for a while now. I have to go. I'm part of the Fellowship also and I will not abandon them. If it hadn't been for Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli's urgings..." Ratchet grinned slightly. "..demands then I would have went with them."  
  
"I do not know if you should even go to this next battle. It will be much bigger than the one at Helms Deep, and an ever greater chance of your death." Haldir whispered fervently. "I wish you would stay here where it is safe."  
  
Ratchet shook her head. "I will go Haldir, no matter what you or anyone else says. I will not abandon them. I will not fail."  
  
The Elf sighed and shook his head. It was practically suicide to go. But then again, maybe that's what she had wanted. After he had heard of her attempt to kill herself, he had watched Ratchet like a hawk. And when he couldn't, he made sure someone else did.  
  
Haldir sighed again and shook his head at his brother. I do not wish to dance Orophin. Besides, you know i'm terrible about it.  
  
Ratchet watched the three Elves discuss something in their native language and grinned slightly. All she could tell was that the two new Elves were pestering Haldir about something.  
  
I like living right where I am thank you very much Rumil. Go find some Elf maid to flirt with. Same to you Orophin.  
  
Orophin and Rumil sighed and grinned at their brother.  
  
and the brothers slipped off into the crowd before Haldir could wring their necks.  
  
"What's got your underwear all in a bunch?" Ratchet asked.  
  
Haldir turned to her and had a slight look of murder in his eyes. "My brothers are making something out of nothing."  
  
Ratchet shrugged and turned back to watch the dancers. "Whatever."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Faulkner: Yay! Summer! No more school for THREE MONTHS!! ::does happy dance:: Cookies and brownies to all who have reviewed for me so far! I thank you all!  
  
Pinky: I like the particular song in this chapter! It's All You Wanted by Tonic. 


	22. On The Road Again!

Faulkner: I have a confession to make! I had help on this chapter by an aquaintance of mine via e-mail. I hope it didn't turn out too crappy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
For the first time in a long time, Ratchet was in a good mood. She was on the open road with only her borrowed horse for company. It sort of surprised her that the Lord and Lady let her go off on her own to Gondor. But that decision had been over and done with for days now.  
  
And her giddy mood prompted her to sing, considering her situation. Her CD player had crapped out days ago, and now the only voice that knew the songs that were frequent at her home was Ratchet herself. So, she had decided to entertain herself and her horse (AN: Singing to a horse? Now where did THAT come from??) by singing.  
  
"Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?  
  
I didn't mean to call you that  
  
I can't remember what was said or what you threw at me  
  
Please tell me  
  
Please tell me why  
  
My car is in the front yard  
  
And i'm  
  
Sleeping with my clothes  
  
I came in through the window  
  
Last night  
  
And you're gone......gone  
  
It's no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy  
  
'Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me  
  
The smoke alarm is going off and their's a cigarette  
  
Still burning  
  
Please tell me why  
  
My car is in the front yard  
  
And i'm  
  
Sleeping with my clothes on  
  
I came in through the window  
  
Last night  
  
And you're gone......gone  
  
And you're gone......gone  
  
And you're gone......gone  
  
It's no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy  
  
'Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me  
  
Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?  
  
I didn't mean to call you that"  
  
She hummed the last of the chords and then fell silent. Ratchet had been on the edge of insanity from boredom all day long. Riding a horse through the countryside was all well and good for entertainment for a few days. But a week? That was stretching it a bit.  
  
"I'm so freakin' bored." she muttered to herself. Her horse whickered. "I'll take that as agreement." Ratchet patted the tri-colored mare on the neck. "And it doesn't even help that I barely know where the hell we are. I wish I had a better map than the one they gave me."  
  
The map in question only showed a strip of area between Lothlorien and Minas Tirith. The map lengthwise went from the Misty Mountains to the battle plain Dagorlad. Though it did put some detail in a few places, like cities and such, others were just plain areas on the piece of parchment.  
  
"You'd think since they were immortal they would have plenty of time to make a decent map. Nutty buggers." she continued to mutter to herself.  
  
She had pressed herself fairly hard, taking Galadriel's warning about not waiting around to heart. And judging by her pitiful map, she was a little more than halfway there. Ratchet was currently traveling along some river called the Entwash.  
  
"I just wish something would bloody happen!" she screamed in frustration.  
  
As is with most silly wishes, this one came true.  
  
A slight shaking of the ground started. Small enough to only be noticed by the horse at first, who just ignored it. Then a noise like the low roll of thunder came to the beasts ears, who started to get antsy as she walked along. Soon enough even Ratchet noticed these things and started panicking.  
  
'What if it's orcs?' she thought. 'Fighting with the Fellowship and the Elves is one thing. But alone?!' Her confidence had been shaken at Helms Deep, and a whole horde of orcs wasn't exactly a good confidence booster.  
  
"Me and my big mouth!" she complained. Ratchet urged her mare into a gallop to try to at least get some distance between them and the 'orcs'.  
  
As luck would have it, her mare tripped on a rock and stumbled. The horse lost her stride and her steps became uneven at best. Ratchet panicked and fell off, tumbling to the ground and badly spraining her right ankle trying to stay upright.  
  
After Ratchet fell off, the mare regained her balance and returned to her temporary master.  
  
"Damn horse!" The mare whickered and lowered her head to sniff at her. "Get your nose out of my face! The first time I really need your speed and you trip. Trip, I tell ya! What have I done to get such pitiful luck?!"  
  
Ratchet tried to get back up to get back in the saddle, but fell on her butt. Her ankle was done in for a couple days at least.  
  
She turned to look at how close her pursuers had come to them. From what she could tell from that distance, pretty much all of them were on horses. But something was definitely odd about them. Since when did orcs ride horses and wear armour that didn't look like it had been dragged through every nasty thing between the sea and the desert to the east?  
  
'I can be such an idiot!' Ratchet slapped her forehead. 'They're humans! I am such a dummy it's not even funny. Hey, I rhymed!'  
  
Even as she thought this, the party of Men came closer and closer. They didn't slow down and stop until they were within six feet of her.  
  
All of them wore armour with horse decorations on them. Even their swords looked like they had some kind of horse symbol on the hilts. The one who seemed to be the leader of the group had gold inlaid into his armour. All in all, it was an impressive sight.  
  
"Who are you, and what are doing away from your home? A lady shouldn't be out alone in these dark times." the leader said.  
  
"Hello to you too. I'm on my way to Minas Tirith as a matter of fact." Ratchet grabbed a stirrup and pulled herself slowly onto her good foot. "My name is.... ah nevermind." She remembered seeing this guy before, but where? Not in Rivendell or Lothlorien certainly.....  
  
The man looked at her sceptically. He looked to be about middle-age with shoulder-length blond hair that was already mostly white and a beard like Boromir had.  
  
'No stupid, don't think of him!' she yelled at herself as she quickly concentrated on remembering where she saw him before. In an attempt to keep her mind off Boromir, she reflected that the mans hair looked like lemonade.  
  
"Anyways, I was wondering if maybe one of you could give me a hand back up onto my horse? I sorta kinda sprained my ankle when I fell off. I'm not much of a rider." The one with the gold armour looked to the young man next to him who signalled to a soldier.  
  
The soldier got off his lovely chesnut colored horse and walked over to her. Without even asking he grabbed her by her waist and lifted her into the saddle. Then he went back into the ranks.  
  
"I suggest you turn around and go back the way you came. You will more than likely die in the battle that is coming." the man said gravely.  
  
Ratchet grinned and tried to somehow ease the pain in her ankle by leaving her foot out of the stirrup.  
  
"Not a chance. I'm no coward and I won't abandon my friends. They're counting on me to be there. I've already lost too many of them." she ended, the grin fading. "Besides, it can't be as bad as that one place was. I think it was called Helms Deep. Yeah, that's it." The men started whispering and shooting glances her way. "That was one messed up battle. Smelt pretty awful too, with those things stinking up the place. All the dead didn't help much either."  
  
"How do you know about Helms Deep?" the young man that had signalled to the soldier asked.  
  
"I was there, no duh." She rolled her eyes. "How else would I know about it? News certainly doesn't travel too fast around here."  
  
The older mans eyes got kind of glassy and unfocused as he thought back to the battle. He remembered seeing the very same girl there, albeit she had been a little less thin than she was now.  
  
"You were with the Elves, weren't you?" he asked. "I remember seeing you next to their leader, Haldir. I can't believe you survived."  
  
"Well. Either I survived or i'm a ghost. And I think I look solid enough." She slapped her thigh for emphasis. "If that's all, i'll be on my way." Ratchet turned the mare about and started off again.  
  
"Wait!" Ratchet stopped and looked over her shoulder to see who called. To her surprise, it was the young man that had ridden next to the old guy in charge. He spurred his horse onward and stopped next to her. "I think it would be in both our interests that you traveled with us." he said.  
  
"What good would that do me? I travel a lot faster by myself than if I had a whole damn army behind me. Or, if I was IN the army." Rachet stated.  
  
"But you would be protected from the orc bands that are now rallying together." he insisted.  
  
"I can protect myself just fine thanks." Ratchet told him. She nudged the mares stomach with her good foot and started off again.  
  
"Maybe against one or two orcs. But what about a whole band?" The young man kept his stallion alongside her.  
  
Ratchet stopped and looked at him searchingly.  
  
"Damn." she muttered. "FINE. You got yourself a traveling partner."  
  
~*Nightfall*~  
  
"Halt!"  
  
The army from Rohan stopped and the ranks dispersed into seperate groups divided by who their captain was. Fires were lit and rations were taken from packs. Many talked quietly and others immediately went to sleep. Yet others stayed awake for their watch.  
  
And one was complaining and being a general nuisance.  
  
"I just HAD to say yes. Me and my big mouth." Ratchet grumbled as she ate some stale bread that was almost as hard as the rock she was sitting on. "Why do I always get myself into these things?"  
  
Eomer, the young man who had convinced her to travel with them, sat next to her and found her grumblings funny.  
  
"Why do you talk to yourself like that?" he asked her suddenly.  
  
She glared balefully at him. "Because it keeps me sane."  
  
"Why? Do you have a reason to be going insane?"  
  
Ratchet groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, as a matter of fact. You Rohirrim are driving me up the wall. I'm going absolutely batty over here."  
  
Eomer's eyes widened. "What have we done?"  
  
"As far as I know, you were born. You nutty people are always getting into trouble. First, the thing at Helms Deep, second, conning me into joining you. And third, you just HAD to get all hero-like on me and go after that orc band. I'm never going to get the stench out of my clothes! Not to mention my poor backpack!"  
  
Indeed, her backpack was a muddy mess that everyone was surprised to see was still in one piece. Sort of.  
  
They had run across a band of orcs traveling in the same direction as them. The result, a few cuts, one dead man, an extra horse, and a filthy and very grumpy Ratchet.  
  
"It will just be a few more orcs that won't bother us at the battle ahead." Eomer consoled.  
  
"Pish. Yeah, whatever." She finished her bread piece and laid down next to her pack on the hard ground. "If i'm unlucky enough i'll see you in the morning." she mumbled to Eomer by way of 'goodnight'.  
  
"Goodnight, lady."  
  
"Go to hell." she muttered back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Anybody feel that tension? How will Eomer and the Rohirrim take to Ratchet? And what about the battle ahead? I ain't got one single clue!  
  
Pinky: That was Lit with My Own Worst Enemy! They aren't too bad of a band, I think. 


	23. There Aren't Any Giant Bugs, Are There?

Faulkner: Next chapter peeps. It's extremely short, and i'm sorry for that, My mum's in the hospital and my stepdad can't drive. We are currently depending on my Uncle to get around and me to buy groceries. Fun, huh?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Someone was shaking Ratchet. Ratchet, who wasn't a morning person, started cussing and turned onto her other side. The person persisted and shook her even harder. When all she did was pull her cloak over her head, the person stood up and kicked her in the butt.  
  
Reaction was instant and Ratchet jumped to her feet, furious.  
  
"What the hell are you kickin' me for! It's still fuckin' dark out!"  
  
"That's because dark clouds are covering the sun." Eomer said, the one who had successfully woken her. "Look."  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him and looked up at the sky. Just like he had said, the sky was covered in thick black clouds. Not even an inch of blue sky was showing in between the darkness.  
  
"Dawn has come already." and he pointed to the horizon where the barest amount of light was showing through. "Gather your things, we are leaving." and he moved off, ordering people around all the while.  
  
Ratchet looked back up at the sky and let out a low whistle. "Well, hell. This can't be good." she muttered. After putting on her cloak and shouldering her backpack, she stood next to her horse and watched people run around in ordered chaos.  
  
Eomer made another appearance a few minutes later on his own chestnut stallion and beckoned her to follow him. Sighing, she carefully mounted. Her ankle was still in bad shape and she could swear it was bigger than it was the last time she looked. But as things stood, there was nothing she could do about it except endure the pain and curse whatever deities that gave her such rotten luck.  
  
They traveled all through the day and only stopped at what was supposedly the afternoon. No one could tell because of the thick black clouds that covered all but the slimmest of blue along the horizon.  
  
Their lunch was eaten in silence, Ratchet munching on bit of the lembas that was packed for her journey to the battle. Occaisonally Eomer and the king would mutter between themselves, but then they would clam-up again. It was almost like Ratchet was traveling by herself again.  
  
The army then put prepared and set out on their mounts again in relative silence. The opressive darkness overhead made for a very subdued moral. And a still very grouchy Ratchet.  
  
"Hell. I hate the dark. It was bad enough in Moria. At least I had my CD player then. Bloody screwy technology." she muttered to herself. "Where's the blasted thing when you need it? And then my batteries just HAD to die. Piece of crap. Last time I get my batteries at the dollar store." Her horse, now affectionately named Louie, snorted and tossed her head. "Same here, Louie." Ratchet patted the horses neck.  
  
As per usual, boredom eventually ended up in near insanity and near insanity ended up in singing. Except the singing was being done under her breath so only the men closest to her could just barely hear.  
  
"Now i've told you this once before  
  
You can't control me  
  
If you try to take me down you're gonna break  
  
Now I feel your every nothing that you're doing for me  
  
I'm picking you outta me  
  
You run away  
  
I stand alone  
  
Inside  
  
I stand alone."  
  
Ratchet glanced up from her staring at the horse mane before her and noticed they were approaching a forest. A forest that looked very creepy in the dark.  
  
"You're always hiding behind your so called goddess  
  
So what you don't think that we can't see your face  
  
Resurrected back before the final fallen  
  
I'll never rest until I can make my own way  
  
I'm not afraid of fading  
  
I stand alone  
  
Feeling your sting down inside me  
  
I'm not dying for it  
  
I stand alone  
  
Everything that I believe is fading  
  
I stand alone  
  
Inside  
  
I stand alone."  
  
Louie tossed her head again and pranced a little while she trotted. Ratchet pet her neck and tried to soothe her.  
  
"And now it's my time (now it's my time)  
  
It's my time to dream (my time to dream)  
  
Dream of the sky (dream of the sky)  
  
Make me believe that this place is inplaqued by the poison in me  
  
Help me decide if my fire will burn out before you can breathe  
  
Breathe into me  
  
I stand alone  
  
Inside  
  
I stand alone  
  
I stand alone  
  
Feeling your sting down inside  
  
I'm not dying for it  
  
I stand alone  
  
Everything that I believe is fading  
  
I stand alone  
  
Inside  
  
I stand alone."  
  
As they drew nearer to the forest, Ratchet wondered if they were actually thinking of going in there. She had heard Legolas talking about giant spiders in his home forest. What if this place had giant bugs? Giant beetles, or giant bees? Or better yet, giant scorpions?  
  
"Inside, I stand alone  
  
Inside, I stand alone  
  
Inside...."  
  
Louie calmed slightly, but still pranced and started grinding her bit making a sound that was eerily like something crunching a bone. A chill went up Ratchet's spine at that thought and she mentally slapped herself. 'Too many horror movies! I shouldn't have watched The Ring, Resident Evil, Thirteen Ghosts, Ringu, and that older version of The Mummy all in one night. The guy at Blockbuster said too many scary movies in one go was bad for the imagination. Crap.'  
  
And while she was busy ranting in her mind, they drew closer to the forest. Before Ratchet knew it, they were traveling inside the deeper darkness of the forest. Yet another chill crawled up her spine.  
  
"Bloody hell." she muttered to herself again. "When this is over, i'm gonna kill that Elf for telling me about giant bugs. As if Tremors and Eight Legged Freaks wasn't enough."  
  
Nobody payed any attention to her, as they were now quite used to her muttering to herself. The Rohirrim, quite frankly, thought one too many screws were loose up in her attic. To be tactless, they thought she was crazy. But then again, who didn't?  
  
And after yet more riding that made Ratchet's butt go number than numb, they finally stopped and broke camp.  
  
"If I ever meet Sauron in person again, i'm gonna go postal on his ass. This bloody war is gonna kill me." she kept muttering as she took care of Louie, carefully removing the saddle and brushing her down, just as the Elves taught her.  
  
She watched as Eomer and the king walked into the just set up tent along with somone who was suspiciously short. Ratchet frowned and thought that it was always the royalty that got all the good stuff. She settled herself onto the hard ground and leaned against a tree. Louie started to nibble at the nearby grass and stayed close to her current owner.  
  
"Hell Louie. How did I get myself into this?" Ratchet asked her horse as the mare chewed contentedly on some clover. "Great. Now i'm talking to horses. What does the world have to throw at me next? An earthquake maybe? I've never been in one of those. Sounds like a wonderful torture to me." Louie just whickered.  
  
Ratchet continued to mutter to herself as she slowly fell asleep. At one point, she thought she saw Merry running from the tent, but dismissed it as sleep overtook her.  
  
And so, the funky dreams started up again. Along with the urging to choose between Boromir and Haldir for some reason or another.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Okay, extremely short and crappy chapter, I know. But i'm having some problems at home and school is less than a week away. This is gonna hafta do for a little bit. Sorry folks.  
  
Pinky: Anyone recognize that song from the Scorpion King? It's I Stand Alone by Godsmack. 


	24. In This War

Faulkner: YES!! IT HAS COME!! CHAPTER 24!!!! Sorry it's taken so long, but you know how life starts gettin' ya in trouble and you get caught up in things. Also lost my ROTK book, so that didn't help matters much. Now don't start whining because YES, this IS a short chapter. But all the action stuff will be in the next one, as soon as I get it up.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The next thing Ratchet knew she was being shaken awake. When she cracked her eyes open, she could make out Eomer's face in the darkness.  
  
"Wake up! We must make haste to Gondor! All the others are nearly ready. We march in a few minutes." Wearily, she got up and tried to stretch all the kinks out of her muscles.  
  
'Just wait. I'm gonna seriously bash some heads in for all this crap i'm havin' to go through.' she thought to herself as she re-saddled Louie the mare. 'And after that i'm gonna get so fuckin' smashed. Never been drunk before, but I sure hope it helps me relax.'  
  
And so saying, she gathered up her stuff and tied it to her saddle. She rejoined the main force and saw the same strange short guy that the king had walked off with. On closer inspection, his skin looked leathery and he wore only some sort of loincloth and had a scraggly beard of sorts. He looked like some sort of gnome to her. Maybe that's what he was, but she didn't feel like asking.  
  
"We will follow Ghan-buri-Ghan through the paths that he and his people have discovered. The orcs have taken the main roads, more than we can hope to fight without being delayed for too long a time." Eomer informed her. She just nodded stupidly and rubbed at her eyes to get the sleep out of them.  
  
As they started out in long lines, with the gnome-like man walking next to the kings horse, they followed some trail that was hidden to them. The trail went through the forest and at one point on a ledge in a ravine where they had to go in single file, or else risk falling to sure death. But otherwise it was a fairly boring trip.  
  
Ratchet was in a half-doze, her eyes nearly closed and occaisonally she did really fall asleep. But then Louie would jerk suddenly and her head would shoot back up, looking for danger.  
  
"I swear, i'm never getting into another war as long as I live. God help me if I ever do. Lucky to be alive as is." she mumbled to herself. "And now i'm stuck with a bunch of horse-loving neanderthols. Could this get ANY worse?"  
  
It was still terribly dark, the sky darker than dark. If she looked straight forward and squinted her eyes just a little she could make out the dark outline of a volcano that looked like it was going to erupt any minute. It reminded her of the movies her science teacher Mrs.Konatske would let them watch at times.  
  
"It's Vesuvius all over again. A Middle-earthian re-enactment of Pompeii."  
  
And so they travelled on. They were forced to eat a small lunch since the King ("in all his infinite wisdom" Ratchet muttered darkly) decided that they had to keep moving. Morale was on a scale of one to ten, negative two. Anyone who had at least a semblance of a brain knew that a big fight was coming and it sure as hell wasn't going to be pretty. Not in the least.  
  
"Here in this diary  
  
I write you visions of my Quest  
  
It was the worst I ever had  
  
There were battles and lost loves  
  
And that unspoken feeling of knowing  
  
That you might be dead tomorrow  
  
All the nights we stayed up walking  
  
Listening to my crappy singing  
  
And quoting deep cliches that  
  
Wizards are always saying  
  
It still brings a smile to my face  
  
I guess when it comes down to it  
  
Being dead isn't half as fun as staying alive  
  
These are the suckiest days of our lives  
  
The only thing that matters is just keeping all your limbs  
  
And eventually you might still be sane  
  
Breaking into private bedrooms  
  
And wreaking havoc in Elven-realms  
  
Hanging out at rivers  
  
Just to pass the time  
  
The nightingales singing me to sleep  
  
Lighting up pipes in old mines  
  
Illuminate the darkest spots  
  
Sharing stories under this deep dark sky  
  
2015 Rivendell, it's time to say goodbye  
  
Get with the Fellowship, it's time to go  
  
Being dead isn't half as fun as staying alive  
  
These are the suckiest days of our lives  
  
The only thing that matters is just keeping all your limbs  
  
And eventually you might still be sane  
  
(Still be sane)  
  
Being dead isn't half as fun as staying alive  
  
These are the suckiest days of our lives  
  
The only thing that matters is just keeping all your limbs  
  
And eventually you might still be sane....."  
  
Ratchet cracked a grin at her parody of 'In This Diary' by the Ataris. It was by far one of her best on-the-spot renditions. Also her only on-the- spot rendition.  
  
"I've gotta write that one down. I just hope I remember it." she joked. But the only person who heard and understood it was her. "This war business is pretty lonely. I hope the guys are all right. They better not be doing anything stupid without me."  
  
And just as Louie grunted her agreement, they crested a rise and saw the nearly completely ruined city of Minas Tirith. Orcs were nearly swarming over the something fields (Ratchet couldn't remember what the heck Boromir had called them) and some sort of giant sling-shots were near to the destroyed walls.  
  
"Oh my dear sweet Lord in Heaven." she breathed. "That can't be a good thing."  
  
War-cries erupted around her as the Riders of Rohan urged their massive steeds forward for the kill. Ratchet could only do the same as she was swept along with the warriors.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Yes, that really was "In This Diary" by the Ataris. There are a few of the lines that weren't tweaked by me, but only a few. I don't think it looks too bad for a literally 'on-the-spot' parody. I call my masterpiece, "In This War" by moi, Faulkner! Anyone can use this song as long as they ask me first and tell me where it's at and give me credit for it. Lord knows why anyone would want to borrow it though. And if I DO catch anyone using it without permission, they'll find the CIA on their ass so fast their heads'll be spinnin'. I don't think it's such a hard task to ask before using. I'm not being unreasonable here. 


	25. Blood And Little Rascals

Faulkner: The asterisks inside parentheses (*) mean flashbacks. Just so's ya know. And I saw ROTK the day after it came out and for those of you that haven't seen it, you have no fucking clue what you're missing!! The Elves are even better looking in this one (if that is even possible) especially near the end. I'm not saying any more.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Blood. There was so much blood that she couldn't turn her head one way without seeing even more of it. Granted, she had seen blood and gore before in the battle in Moria and the attack on the Anduin. But this...... this had been nothing short of a complete slaughter.  
  
(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)  
  
They had rushed the orcs who had momentarily lost their nerve and hesitated when the whole of the Rohirrim army galloped straight at them. She personally would have shit herself if she had been in the orcs position and wouldn't have blamed them for running off, screaming for their mommies if they even had one.  
  
It was a never-ending motion of slash and hack with the occaisonal get out of the way and parry. Nothing could have fully prepared her for this all out madness. So her body had reacted the only way it could:  
  
By shutting down and running on autopilot.  
  
Her movements were all muscle memory and reflex. Not one single stab was thought about, just done. There was no time for thought unless your mind went at the speed of light.  
  
The orcs were endless, but they were losing faith and had started to retreat. But then the reinforcements from the men-gone-bad had come and everything went even further to hell.  
  
"This just keeps getting better and better." Ratchet had murmured. "And me with only a sword. Times like these I wish there was a nuke handy." Then her breather had been over and not only was she killing orcs, but strange dark skinned men dressed like something out of the Congo crossed with the Middle East.  
  
It had all gone down hill from there. Rohirrim were being squashed by the gargantuan Elephants these new bad guys were riding and seemingly couldn't be stopped. It was absolute chaos, nothing more and nothing less. And now Ratchet was thinking just how lucky she was to have made it this far.  
  
A cry had gone up, somebody was yelling, "The Corsairs! The Corsairs of Umbar! We're doomed!" She turned to the river and say many boats coming up the river with black sails. Her mortality finally struck her and she felt the first inklings of true fear.  
  
The orcs were gaining strength with the promise of more allies and beating them back. Back towards the crumbling and burning city that was Minas Tirith. If they didn't hold their ground now and defeat the enemy, then all was lost. She would die, just like Haldir almost had. Just like Boromir did. Just like Kokuyo.  
  
"I'm not going yet!" she yelled to no one in particular and kept on fighting. But despair was seeping in and hope was dying just like the men around her.  
  
She could faintly see the ships and their dark sails. But to her supreme surprise, not more evil men and orcs came out of the boats, but her long missed friends.  
  
(*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*) (*)  
  
A ghost of a smile passed over Ratchet's lips before her eyes focused on the now and she realized she had been staring at a body minus the head and a foot. Grimacing, she stood up and made her way to Louie, who was calmly snuffling at a patch of grass that had managed to not get covered by a carcass.  
  
"Hey girl. You don't wanna eat that. Lord knows what's stepped or bled on it." She took Louie's reins and led her towards the severely damaged city. "Let's go see the others and get you at least a bruised apple. No bloody grass for my horse." and she patted the mare's neck.  
  
She carefully weaved her way through the corpses, trying not to look too long into a face or think too hard on a vaguely familiar body. The last thing she needed was to recognize someone and go all weepy. Crying made her feel like utter crap and her morale wasn't exactly the best at the moment besides.  
  
Ratchet limped along next to Louie, holding the saddle-horn tightly to make sure she didn't trip. Sometime during the battle she had fallen off of Louie (or been pulled off, she wasn't sure) and fell right on her ankle, sufficiently spraining it again. And the irony of it all was that it was still the same leg that had been shot by the orc arrow in Moria.  
  
It didn't take her long to reach the city, and she slowly made her way up the streets trying to avoid bodies, body parts, and the strewn rocks. She hadn't caught sight of her friends ever since the battle, only catching fleeting glimpses of them. And now it would be hell just to find food most likely, let alone her comrades.  
  
In all the chaos she managed to make it to the seventh ring of the city. In between the people running every which way and the lack of guards at their posts it would have been easy for anyone to make it that far. She left Louie in a relatively private corner and ventured inside.  
  
The inside was fairly deserted except for the occaisonal person running through the halls. She looked through doors and even tried to stop someone a few times but couldn't find the kitchens. So, sighing in exasperation, Ratchet started back towards where she had left Louie.  
  
Unfortunately, someone had gotten there first.  
  
"Hey you, get away from my horse!" The little boy jumped into the air and backed away from her saddle bags. He held in his hand her map and what few pieces of lembas that she had left. "Put those back!" But the boy just ran.  
  
Growling in frustration she ran after him. Her ankle was throbbing in protest, but there was nothing for it. The boy had her map and the rest of her food. When he tripped over something she took her chance and tackled the kid. He may have been a quick little guy, but he stood no chance against her greater weight and strength.  
  
"I give! I give!" he yelled and shoved her map back at her. The lembas had been dropped and, well, squished for lack of a better term.  
  
She snatched back her map and got off him. She opened it and checked for any rips or such that might have ruined it. Thankfully it was in the same condition she had left it. Ratchet glared at the boy and rolled her map back up.  
  
"You are one lucky little squirt that this isn't harmed. And thanks to you ALL my food is gone." She scowled and was about to say some more but stopped when she saw him tearing up. His bottom lip was trembling and he looked about to cry a river. "Hey now, there's no need to start crying. But you shouldn't have taken my stuff. I think your mother should have taught you better than that."  
  
He nodded and ineffectively wiped at the tears that had started to fall. The tears left tracks in his sooty face. She sighed and pulled him off the ground and started to swipe off the worst of the dirt on him. He could have been only nine or ten years old.  
  
"Where are your parents? It isn't safe for a little guy like you out here. Hell, it isn't safe for anyone out here." He nodded and stood up straighter, his crying finally stopped.  
  
"I'm sorry. But I thought that the warriors could spare something for me and my family."  
  
"Warrior? I'm not a warrior!" she laughed. Ratchet tried to scrub some of the dirt and blood off her face. "I'm only a teenager that got all wrapped up in this mess! I'd be more likely to be your older sister than some warrior."  
  
The boy looked shocked, and he stared at her, trying to look behind all the battle grime.  
  
"Now, what's your name? I can't keep on calling you kid. That would be slightly degrading."  
  
He nodded and bowed slightly at her. "I'm Ferdred, son of Ferdinor."  
  
"Pleased to meet you. You can call me Ratchet." He looked puzzled at her name but only accepted it. "How about you go back to your family, where it's more likely to be safer than here out in the open."  
  
Ferdred shook his head, and his curly hair flew all around it like a brown halo. "I don't know where they are. I lost them when the orcs attacked and went after the people. I don't even know if they're.... if they're....."  
  
"It's okay. How about you hang out with me for awhile then? You can get in my good graces if you help me find some food around here. I have absolutely no idea where anything is around here."  
  
Ferdred nodded enthusiastically at this. "Yes miss! Ferdred can help you find food! He is good at that!" He started to go off but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"First, we have to get my horse before somebody else gets the same idea that you had. And second, the food that you are going to help me get better not be gotten from somebody elses saddle bags." Ferdred looked slightly put- out but nodded again. "Good, now let's hop-to."  
  
And so began a friendship between a little Gondorian boy and a girl from an unknown (to them) world.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faulkner: Yes it's not the best chapter in the world and kind of short but my mom has been hogging the computer for the last MONTH. She'd done all her Christmas shopping on it and a bunch of crap that has to do with her work. Now that i've got my own computer (but no internet) the chapters should hopefully be coming more faster. Notice I said hopefully. 


	26. Importante Note

Please go to my username place for updating info and the future of these stories.  
  
Much Love,  
  
Faulkner 


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